Primordial Ones: The Awakening
by NeoHectic
Summary: A mysterious voice warns the Oracle that the time has come, girls around Heatherfield are disappearing and shadows are rising in Meridian. The guardians will soon face an ancient enemy and learn the true reason of why they were chosen by Kandrakar.
1. The Voice From Beyond

Well this is my first attempt to write a story and since English is my second language I hope you'll forgive the grammer and spelling mistakes. This story is based on the comics and starts after issue 50 "Forever Magic" with a bit of retelling in this chapter. I'm a bit confused about the timeline so I will assume the betrayal of Nerissa and Phobos's ascension coinciding. Also;

Guest Starring: Sean, Maria Medina, Joel McTiennan

Anyway enjoy the fist chapter!

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own W.i.t.c.h. comics or TV series along with all the characters related.**

**Chapter 1: ****The Voice From Beyond**

The fortress of Kandrakar... It is said to reside in the center of infinity and beyond time. From there the Council of Elders and the chosen oracles observed the infinite universes since time unknown. They summoned creatures of nature, the guardians, to preserve order throughout the worlds. This tradition continued until events started to change dramatically.

First the betrayal of a guardian, the keeper of the Heart of Kandrakar, which ended with a tragedy that would plague the fortress for years to come. Almost at the same time ill news came from the world of Metamoore, for a tyrant had risen to the throne denying the laws of his world and the rights of its people with an ambition to conquer the rest of the universes. The guardians were broken apart by the latest events and with it the order of Kandrakar could not reach those in need. Therefore, for the first time, the once unified worlds were seperated by the Veil, created by the Oracle to quarantine Metamoore and the rising evil within it.

The congregation discussed long about the enemy, precautions to be taken against it and most importantly the selection of the new generation of guardians. The Oracle stayed away from the discussion as his previous choices proved to be a fatal mistake. The keeper of the aurameres had suggested her best pupil to be the keeper of the Heart while the other four were being tracked by the celestial search. It was then that the Oracle heard a mysterious voice.

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Fortress of Kandrakar, 15 years ago, June 4

In the meditation chambers, the Oracle was observing the past in absolute silence. He was thinking over and over again about the recent events. Something was not right.

'Even though I can't foretell the future, how could I not sense the coming of such great changes. It happened all of a sudden as though someone or something interfered... no changed fate. This is not right... I'm trying to justify myself by blaming something else. As soon as the elders chose the new guardians I'll resign from my position.'

Then the silence was broken.

"_Do not question yourself in vain, the errors of the past are not yours at all._"

"Who are you?"

"_My identity is unimportant for the time being as more urgent matters are at stake. Elders of the congregation are about to end the celestial search, the new guardians are chosen only to bring doom to all."_

"You mean they have made the wrong choice. How come you are so sure and why should I trust you?"

"_Even someone of your power and wisdom can't deny my will. Now heed my words, I shall give you the name of __**the**__ chosen ones and you will appoint them as the guardians of the veil. You as the Oracle will guide them until the time comes .If you accept my conditions willingly I'll give some of the reasons, but not all. I know you will do the right thing for the salvation of the future._"

Now the Oracle had to make a decision that would change the infinite universes forever.

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Later in the Hall of Congregation

Whispers about the Oracle chosing the guardians on his own were everywhere. Luba, keeper of the aurameres, was furious. Honourable Yan Lin, the previous air guardian, was both shocked and pleased by the sudden change of events (she feared the Oracle would resign and also she was missing an important moment on Earth), Tibor had just announced that the Oracle had rejected the guardians chosen by the elders. A few moments later he entered the hall ignoring the whispers and glares of the elders. When he arrived at the center facing the council, he spoke.

"Wise elders of Kandrakar I know you are all concerned by my last minute call, but you need to trust me. I have long meditated and thought about our situation to come to my current decision. I now tell you that the new guardians will be five girls from Earth."

"Earthlings again!?" "The last ones failed us! This is an outrage!" "He can't be serious." Many other comments followed. After long discussions the elders were persuaded to listen and accept the Oracle's wishes, thanks to the efforts of Yan Lin, Tibor and Endarno. Soon order was established again. Silently they waited for him to speak.

"As I mentioned before the new generation of guardians will be five girls from Earth who were and being born.

The guardian of water is Irma Lair.

The guardian of fire is Taranee Cook.

The guardian of air will be...

Honourable Yan Lin would you share your granddaughter's name with us?"

This question made the old guardian very happy, she wasn't there while she was born but here she learned her granddaughter's destiny.

"Her name is Hay Lin." she said proudly.

"Then Hay Lin it is.

The Guardian of Earth is Cornelia Hale.

And the **rightful owner** of the Heart is Wilhelmina Vandom."

The last statement of the Oracle caused a commotion, but he ignored it and left the hall leaving confused elders behind. Finally the new guardians were chosen with their names engraved in stone.

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Fortress of Kandrakar, The Present

Only a few moments have passed since the young guardians have left the fortress. The Oracle looked at the two elders who were leaving the meditation chambers, on the left was Endarno The Wise, once a great hero of Basiliade, and beside him was Honourable Yan Lin, the previous air guardian. All three of them were the head of the newly formed Trinity Empire sharing the greatest power of Kandrakar. Yet, he could not tell them the true reason of the meeting with the guardians, he knew it was not the elements who spoke through the transfiguring cards.

There was silence once more. 'Maybe it is my imagination, after all, I changed a lot during my exile in Basiliade. No, there is no mistake. I had contacted the elements many times before and never felt such a different kind of magic. I'm sure it's the same thing that happened fifteen years ago.' Silence broke with his voice.

"I know it is you. What do you want?"

Silence...

"The changes, your message, what did it mean?"

Silence again...

"Speak to me!"

Nothing...

Oracle tried to figure out the meaning of the changes for a long time. 'At least I now understand how guardians feel when I talk to them in riddles.' He sighed at his own thoughts. He never felt this helpless before; not when Nerissa attacked the Fortress, not when Yua tried to assasinate him, not even when he was exiled to Basiliade with no memories. This time there was no way out.

In all of the previous dangers, the guardians were there to save the day and with each new threat they proved to everyone that they were the chosen ones. 'What would happen if I had ignored the voice and abide with the choice of the council? What if I were no longer the Oracle, just elder Himmerish?' He had already accepted that the voice was right, those girls were special indeed. The clues were hidden not in their achievements or the enemies they defeated, but in smaller details, which had gone unnoticed by all, even the guardians themselves, except the Oracle who was warned by the voice.

He wished he could listened to the advices of his trustful elders.

He wished he could do ask help from Endorno and Yan Lin.

He wished he could tell everything to the guardians.

Yet, he could not, for the voice had demanded complete secrecy.

The meditation chambers of Kandrakar remained silent... until now.

"_The time has come, young Oracle. Destiny shall reveal its secret from now on. A great evil is rising from its slumber. You have done your part and have been rewarded for your efforts, its all up to the Guardians now. The warning has been given and you shall hear no more from me, ever again."_

Silence came before the Oracle could ask his unanswered questions. He sat down with dissapointment. Then he smiled as realization came to him 'There would be only a few people who would actually consider exile as a reward.' He stood up, there were a lot of preparations to be made.

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Heatherfield, Three weeks later, 5:23 a.m.

She was floating in emptiness; there were no surrounding limits, no dimensions, no senses, nothing at all... Then her senses started to came back, she saw the darkness, heard the silence and felt the ground. She was standing on a platform which stretched to infinity. Many things appeared on the platform, but none of them could be seen for darkness still reign, and then... Light! Lights of all colour! Roads of shining light beams, rivers of colourful ribbons, passages like rainbows with colours that she didn't even knew existed. The scent of the flowers, trees, grass and all of nature itself; the warm, yet cool feeling on her skin was indiscribable, sounds of all kind of music with countless voices singing along with them...It was so beautiful, she was in bliss. She enjoyed all of it until it all became too complex for her mind to comprehand. She looked at the floor and noticed her reflection, the ground was like a mirror. First she examined her flowery wings that gave her an urge to fly and experience absolute freedom, but they were too small for flying which reminded her of her limits, but the dreams of flight remained. Her outfit looked so different, yet so wonderful at the same time, it was coloured in green, which represented the balance of nature, and in purple, which represented the hardship she had to go through to protect this delicate balance. Then she looked at her face, she had red hair and chocolate brown eyes. She recognized the face and slowly all of her memories returned.

"My... my name is Will Vandom."

"_Indeed you are, rightful owner of the Heart. Welcome to my realm, my domain. I am most sorry that I can't greet you personally for I fear that you're not ready for our reunion. I can only hope we will have enough time for it. As a matter of fact, I reached out to you to say farewell."_

"Wait, who are you? And whats with the farewells, have we met before?"

"_Take care of yourself Will..._"

"No, wait you can't go!" she tried to reach out to the voice with her hands, but the only thing she grabbed was her alarm clock yelling in agony.

"OK, ok you're choking me, stop it now! I swear I'll never wake you up again so early, please spare me!"

"Oh! Sorry, it was an accident, you see I was having a dream..."

"I'm not your mother, save your excuses for her. I'm only trying do my job and getting smashed is a part of it but you can always treat me better, this is not the first time you know."

"I was just trying to be polite... What am I doing arguing with an alarm clock? Lets see... 5:34 am. Well, I will get up since I'm already awake."

Soon Will was sitting in the kitchen enjoying the newspaper, it was rare that she read it before her Mom. Suddenly her thoughts returned to the dream she saw this morning. She couldn't remember all the details but she could say it was one of those once in a life time moments. And the things the voice told her.

'What was that all about?'

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Later in Sheffield Institude two girls were talking about the usual stuff, at least from the perspective of the average person.

"No, nothing out of the ordinary. I mean I hadn't seen any dreams lately, wish I had. I need some inspiration for my new dress." said Hay Lin as she and Will walked through the corridor.

"Strange, usually all of us see the same dream or dreams related to each other. Well at least it wasn't an evil guardian demanding the Heart or a warning from Kandrakar against some sort of danger. Well, here we are. See you at lunch break, bye!"

"See ya!" Hay Lin then took the left corridor and turned around the corner. As Will was staring at the empty class room she suddenly felt someone behind her.

"Chemistry has been cancelled, Will. Professor Collins is expecting us in the history class. Come on, lets go before we're late."

"What happened?"

"Well it seems that Mr. Collins decided to make use of free hours."

"No, I meant the chemistry lesson."

"Oh that one... Principle Knickerbocker said Mr. Grey joined the teachers exchange program. Therefore, he is overseas and since the new teacher hasn't arrived yet, the class has been cancelled."

Will at that moment was thinking about the meeting in Kandrakar and the dream. Were they related to each other? Although Cornelia didn't know what Will was thinking about, she felt it was about guardian business. She decided to break the silence and bring her down from the clouds.

"Also just like we went to Redstone many new exchange students will be arriving tomorrow. I think..."

Will gave a smile and followed the still talking Cornelia to history. She was glad somethings never changed, like true friendship.

It was now afternoon and five girls were walking slowly towards the school gates, talking about their daily problems.

"And you're telling me that Martin's mood was down the whole day. Have you forgotten what you did to him, and you did kiss and then hit him on the head! I believe the reason is pretty obvious."

Taranee and Hay Lin started laughing after Cornelia reminded them of that comical situation. Will didn't say anything because she wasn't listening to them. She couldn't pay attention to any of the classes, it was as though the dream was haunting her. She had written down every word she could remember from the dream; it became a habit of hers to jot down any kind of information about magic ever since she saw her possible future in Kandrakar.

"It's not that. I later tried to apologize to him during the first break and there I saw him leaning against the wall sulking. I asked Jordan what happened and he told me that Knickerbocker called him to her office. He has been like that ever since then."

Cornelia ended the disturbing silence. "And?"

"Then I went and apologized." Irma stopped again, she looked rather sad.

"AND?" said Taranee, Hay Lin and Cornelia altogether.

"Alright, patience you all. He accepted it, but the way he spoke to me! If I didn't knew better I'd say Knickerbocker sucked up his soul and spit out the shell."

"Anyway Martin's problem has to wait. We need to meet at Orube's house nineteen hundred sharp. We still need to talk about the message of the elements and plan our next course of action."

Hay Lin answered imitating Irma's voice. "Yes General Hale!" Hay Lin then quickly took cover behind Irma, smiling playfully, hoping it would start an argument between Irma and Cornelia. Afterall, Irma needed her spirits up and this was the best therapy. "Irma!" Hay Lin's little scheme was a success.

Taranee was always fascinated by the results of these daily arguments. In a few seconds, Irma regained her usual lively energetic self and making sarcastic remarks at Cornelia. Tara was trying hard not to laugh and keep on her role as the diplomat of the group "Okay, Irma that's enough. Cornelia, try to calm down.". The yelling lasted almost ten minutes.

Will was still distant. That voice was somewhat familiar and she snapped out of her thoughts by a familiar voice "Earth to Heart, Will, are you listening?"

"Oh yes... Meet at the mall at six pm... Why are you all staring at me like that?"

"Will, you have been thinking all day. You can always share your problems with us, don't try to carry weight of the world on your shoulders." said Cornelia holding Will's hand.

"And if you can't speak it out Tara can always read your mind!" added Irma.

Will smiled and they walked down the road. Will wondered if the bond between them was more than it seemed, more than magic.

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At the Olsen residence Matt was walking circles in the living room "She won't open her cell phone and she is not at her home either."

"Why bother this much? Will is probably hanging out with her friends. Give her some time." said Sean lying on the couch zapping through the tv channels.

"Of course , I know she is with her friends, and I'm talking about Mandy, not Will."

"So, what's the difference. I mean the same thing goes for her."

"No, it doesn't. She and her mother has just moved to Midgale today. Mandy never went to Midgale, she doesn't have any friends there, plus they probably arrived there only a few hours ago. I don't think even Irma can make friends that fast."

"Ah yes Irma... ehem... You see, you just answered your own question. What if they haven't arrived yet. Also, there may be many reasons for her cell phone being closed."

"Guess you're right. I'm exaggerating everything these days. Want anything from the fridge?"

"Matt, on second thoughts, you might not be exaggerating at all! Come here, you must see this!"

Matt immediately ran from kitchen to Sean who was sitting straight up and watching the television with full attention.

"What happe-"

"Shhh!"

"...Interpol agent Maria Medina has suggested that the three disappearances are connected. As a reminder, yesterday a French exchange student named Michelle Aurore (I don't know her last name so I made it up) has been reported missing and was last seen at Heatherfield airport. Along with her, her parents who were at Lyon France have gone missing too..."

On the tv, a news reporter was reporting live from 'Heatherfield Highway'. On the screen there was a crashed car in flames. Matt immediately recognized the car.

"...police reports state that the accident took place at 11:12 am. Witnesses are saying the car was driven by a female driver with a passenger. Strangely, no bodies or remains were found or seen anywhere, the car as you can see is beyond repair and is still burning and baggages, suitcases can be seen. This also caused a chain accident along the highway. Now we will listen to one of the witnesses of accident. Sir, can you tell us what exactly happened here?"

"I was on my way to Heatherfield, everything was normal. On the highway I saw this car coming from the opposite direction. There was a driver and a passenger on the front seats, then suddenly, there was a flash of light and they disappeared! I was mesmerized and droved right into the bus in front of me..."

"...We have a last minute breaking news that supports agent Medina's theory. The victims have been identified as (same goes for the Anderson family) Claire and Mandy Anderson who were mother and daughter, the father Johnathan Anderson who was supposedly in Heatherfield at the time of the car crash, is also nowhere to be found. Agent Medina refused further comments, but agent McTiennan has hinted that this disappearences has something to do with the Brown family who also dissappeared in Heatherfield two years ago..."

The reporter continued to question more witnesses but all of them were the same. Matt was completely paralyzed, he couldn't believe Mandy was dead. Then it hit him. He rushed to the door and grab his jacket.

"Where are you going?" Sean was pretty much in shock too. Mandy was also his friend.

"To find Will." Matt slammed the door behind him.

"What does she have to do with it?"

On the television another witness was speaking. "The young girl... I'm sure she was hold'n her wrist and scream'n in pain before they vanished into thin air..."

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Note1: Now that was a bit long. The next chapter is "Two Strangers", I'll try to update in a few days.

Note2: The myterious voice doesn't belong to God, it will be revealed later on.

Note3: Please review.


	2. Two Strangers

I would have updated sooner, but I guess nothing can be done about it. I'll be introducing new characters to the storyline. You will understand this chapter better if you've read the Ludmoore saga, but its not a requirement at all. Hope you'll enjoy the new chapter!

Guest Starring: Cedric, Johnathan Ludmoore, Cassidy

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own W.i.t.c.h. comics or tv series along with all the characters related.**

**Chapter 2: Two Strangers**

A storm was about to come, so thought the young girl who was sitting on the edge of a cliff looking at a city. The sun hid behind a huge a mass of cloud, she was glad it did. She removed the shades from her flat round hat, which covered her entire face and hair. Now she had a better view of Heatherfield 'Wish I brought my camera with me.' It was a rare occasion that the coast of Heatherfield could be seen from Mermaid Isle, a heavy fog almost always surrounded it which was not a tourist attraction at all.

A few birds and other people were acompanying her, but she only gave her attention to the birds writing down notes about their behavior. 'Maybe I should have gone with her, these illusions are becoming more irritating by the second.' The girl really had a strong sense of reality as she had been ignoring the enchantment of the island almost half a day, recognizing what was real and what was not. Suddenly the false images disappeared. 'About time, what took her so long?'

A few hours later two girls were on a boat taxi heading towards Heatherfield bay. The driver was trying to keep the conversation alive

"So you girls found anything interesting on the island, something supernatural maybe?"

"No sir, there were no sign of a curse, ghosts or the likes of it, although I found a rather colourful and noisy friend." answered the girl with the shades, petting an exotic parrot, which seemed to be quite connected to her.

"Nice bird you have there, took it as a souvenir, eh? My son is also in Heatherfield University, perhaps I know your professor after all, what was his name again?"

"Professor Ludmoore." said the other girl. She sounded rather bored.

The taxi driver examined the girls. The first thing one would notice about the first girl was the dress that covered her entire body from her chin down to her feet with gloves showing no skin at all, the skirt was practically sweeping the floor. She was wearing a round flat hat with shades that hid her face and hair. She was a bright, polite young lady who had a sweet voice with a Spanish accent.

While the other one certainly had an attitude. She had a tomboyish appearance, purple-dyed hair and black eyes with a piercing on her lower lip. She wore jeans, snickers, t-shirt and a leather jacket on top of it, and she was soaked wet. 'Probably fell into the water. How odd... This two must have been forced to pair with each other. They absolutely have nothing in common.'

"Ludmoore...Ludmoore... I don't recall anyone with that name." He kept looking at the few notes and drawings about the birds, but he also noticed a large number of stones samples, diagrams, charts and notes that weren't related to birds. It took a second for the first girl to understand the problem.

"Sir, that's because we are geology students not biology. Birds are just a hobby of mine."

"Undrestood, my mistake. Ah! By the way I'm Edward Smith, what are your names?"

"Well I'm Esmeralda Alvarez and my friend here is Vanessa Taylor."

The captain and Esmeralda kept talking till they reached the shore. Vanessa stayed out of the conversation, she was only interested in the light blue button sized gem. It was noon when they finally left the boat.

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The house of Rebecca Rudolf was crowded that evening. Two girls were following the news on tv, while a third one was talking on the phone. "Yes, Matt, we're looking into it, Will and Taranee are at Heatherfield Highway as we're speaking ... You don't need to apologize. You couldn't possibly know that Mr. Lair would call you for an interrogation... They're looking for Will too?... Well, they won't find her anywhere soon... Oh, so the police officially reopened the Brown family case and will have a chat with us. Thanks for the warning, bye."

Cornelia collapsed on the armchair as soon as she closed the phone. For the last hour she's been making phone calls telling people the news who didn't know about the accident and trying get every bit of information from those who knew.

Irma and Hay Lin were watching the news trying not to miss anything. This whole thing turned into a major crisis ever since Kevin and Sheila Jensen were reported missing an hour ago. The mayor was about to start the press conference. Hay Lin pointed to the tv screen;

"Irma, do you see what I see?"

"Yeah, a wide bald man in suit and dozen of reporters, what's new?"

"The man near the Midgale Daily reporter... No the one to her left."

"Is that Ralph Sylla?!" Irma couldn't believe her eyes.

"Yes, it is him." Cornelia calmly confirmed. It wasn't that suprising for her, afterall Sylla specialized on supernatural phenomenons.

"Alright, now we know who will be our new chemistry teacher." said Irma.

"No, I don't think so. Oracle may have erased his memory about us, but Knickerbocker and the school records clearly remember him as an informatics teacher with a background not suitable for teaching chemistry. It won't be that easy this time, principle will surely consider other options first." Cornelia replied without turning her face from the screen.

Hay Lin wasn't convinced yet "We still need to be prepared. They can always send another agent, Sylla is not alone in this case."

Irma decided to change the topic "Have you all noticed the connection between the disappearances and that they are pretty much similar to Elyon's case."

This time she managed to get the attention of both Cornelia and Hay Lin "Like what?"

"First, all of them are girls with ages ranging from 15 to 17. They all vanished in Heatherfield or close to it, their parents disappeared along with them and they all have no other relatives including siblings. And as Medina said their official documents and records are all fake, even Kevin Jensen's, who happens to be a world known celebrity. Not to mention the weird way of disappearences of Mandy, who vanished with a bright light in a moving car and Sheila, who gone out of sight in the ladies room of the dance academy according to Tara."

It took some time for Hay Lin to absorb the information, "Irma, are you suggesting that all three girls are princesses from other worlds!"

"It may be, with Sheila acting all high and mighty."

Cornelia didn't know which was more dangerous; the possibility that there was an enemy unknown to them and even Kandrakar, just like Phobos's last attempt of becoming Oracle, or Irma's hatred for Jensen (she didn't liked her much either). "Don't be ridiculus Irma. If it were the case Kandrakar would have gave us a mission already."

They all returned to their posts. Hay Lin following the news, Cornelia by the phone making other calls, and Irma looking outside from the window in hopes of seeing Orube.

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She was walking on white cotton silently, well on a cloud actually. ' A few steps more...'. Vanessa hid behind a column of cloud and peeked at the white behemoth before her. The eternal guardian of air proved to be difficult foe. Vanessa tried to approach the lumbering beast of ice several times, but each time she was repelled by volleys of ice shards. Now she waited for an opportunity to sneak behind it. 'Turn around you fool, turn around.'

The eternal guardian turned. Vanessa lunged forward, running as fast as she could. She was several meters away from it, when the guardian produced ice spears on its back. This stopped her dead on her tracks and she was now in the open. She stand her ground courageously as the beast turned to face her. She looked straight into the supposed location of the eyes of the behemoth (it had no eyes at all). The eternal guardian send hundreds of ice shards at her.

To the surprise of the beast, all of the ice shards missed the target, who didn't even try to dodge them. The creature raised its huge hand which consisted of a single claw, ready to smash the puny intruder. 'Thanks for the gesture!'Vanessa had awaited this, for the beast had dropped its guard by raising its arm, and by experience she knew it would take awhile before it could shoot any ice shards again. She closed her eyes while running towards the guardian, raised her fist and punched it somewhere in its chest, which she didn't see. She must have found its soft spot.

The once mighty eternal guardian of air began to shatter into pieces and soon it collapsed as a pile of rubble. Vanessa opened her fist, on her palm there was silver pearl like gem.

Later at Golden's that afternoon, Vanessa was eating a free meal, she was the ten thousanth customer of the diner, passing time till Esmeralda came in and sit in front of her.

"Where were you? I've been waiting like forever."

"Now you understand how I felt this morning. You got it?"

"It wasn't easy but I got the job done. What about you?"

She took out three gems from her purse in response.

"Wow!... How did you get your hands on all three of them, and only in three hours?"

"Unlike you I don't depend on luck, I work systematically and efficiently, one hour for each one them."

Then one of the waitresses changed the radio channel. It was 5 pm, news time. Soon they heard all about the car accident and the disappearences.

"It has started. So what do we do now?" Vanessa said uneasily.

Esmeralda thought about their current situation and made a schedule of the week in her mind, then "We won't have enough time tomorrow and until weekend. The sooner we do this the better. Lets go and pay a visit to Ludmoore in his mansion, now."

"Thought you'd never say that." said Vanessa with a huge grin.

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Taranee put her hand on the wrecked car. The spot she touched glowed for moment, then faded away. The flames weren't magical. She took two steps back, now examining the car as a whole. After five minutes she sighed with defeat and turned her attention on reading the minds of everyone nearby. She didn't like it, but it had to be done in order to find a clue.

Will held the Heart close to the crash site in hopes of finding some residual magical energy, she covered 50 meter squares before she saw some partially burnt photos on the ground. There were pictures of Mandy with her parents, Matt and her. Will never knew they were this close as friends. She picked one the pictures and thought about the things she had done to her when they first met. Her heart filled with guilt. 'Where are you Mandy?'

Taranee's thoughts reached her 'Don't lose your hope yet Will. We will find her. And try not to pick objects from around, everyone's already speaking of the supernatural.' Taranee was right of course, both of them were invisible in their guardian forms. Yet, Will couldn't resist the the temptation of slipping a shot of Mandy, Matt and her self into her sleeve.

Will was getting desperate, two hours ago they were at Jensen's dance academy looking for clues, and now as the sun was setting, they were at Heatherfield highway with no results at all. The others were keeping them informed through telepathy, but none of the news were good. Communication and passage to Kandrakar was somehow blocked, which added to their fears about an enemy of magical nature. Will sat down on the pavement her back leaned on a light post. She was tired and sleepy. Up in the sky a star shined.

Suddenly, for Will everywhere became dark. Normally, she would have freaked out, but now she was aware that this was her only chance to find out something. Beams of light tore the darkness in an unstoppable tide. It was all too familiar, then a figure of a guardian appeared in front of her. Will's heart rushed with joy, because she knew who was coming.

"Cassidy, I'm so glad that it is you! I... I have so many questions to ask."

"Your questions will have to wait Will. I...We don't have much time left. A lot has happened during the last few days... The world of Arkhanta has fallen into darkness."

"What!? How did it happened?"

"On the day we met, I mentioned about the chaos that reside beyond the skies of Kandrakar, and within there are threats with power unimaginable. One of those dark entities has awaken and its destination is the fortress of Kandrakar itself, bringing darkness to every world that lies on its path including Earth. Arkhanta was the first step."

"But... It can't be... when did this happened?"

"It began yesterday, and Arkhanta gave in just recently."

"This is not possible, Arkhanta inhabits countless magical creatures and some of them are very powerful like Yua, they couldn't have lost the battle in a day!"

"Do not underestimate the power of this abomanation Will. It blackened the skies, corrupted the land and tainted the waters of Arkhanta, and all its inhabitants were cursed to walk in a living nightmare. It was even able to conjure a Veil of Darkness around the fortress of Kandrakar, isolating it from the infinite universes."

This explained their loss of connection with the fortress. Will forced herself to think logically. She knew the next few questions were of critical importance. She tought of the words 'my realm', 'reunion' and 'farewell', words that she heard in her dream.

"Cassidy, please tell me, were you the one who spoke to me last night in my dream?"

"It wasn't me Will." This confused Will even further. 'Then who was it?'

"What did you mean by you don't have much time left?"

"The darkness is also affecting the realm of spirits, the afterlife. The waters of the Fountain of Life aren't flowing anymore. Every spirit, every soul is sinking into Oblivion. Soon... I'll cease to exist too."

Cassidy looked behind her, gazing at somewhere beyond Will's perception. In a second her eyes were opened wide. "Will, stay here, I need to check on something. Do not try to follow me." She slowly walked forward concentrating on her senses to locate the disturbance. A magical shockwave hit her as she tried keep her balance. 'Someone has followed me here! I can't let it reach Will's mind.' Cassidy put her hands together and chanted a spell. A mental shield now denied access to the intruder or so she hoped. Now Cassidy was standing in a different realm of existence outside Will's mind. She a dark figure in front of her, its features couldn't be seen.

"So you decided to face me in a sub-dimension of the material domain. A wise choice indeed, didn't expect less from the previous water guardian."

"Whoever you are, stay away from Will or else-"

"Or else what? The only purpose you confronted me in this place is that you want me to fight in physical terms, isn't it. Let's see how you fare against me!"

The creature sent a beam of dark energy, which was instantly blocked by a wall of water.

"I am the former water guardian and keeper of the Heart of Kandrakar. You'll find that I'm no easy prey."

"I'm well aware that you're a worthy opponent, but you are still no match for me."

Cassidy brought down large column of water on her foe. The dark entity easily evaded it only to be blasted by a rain of bullet speed water bolts. Cassidy had carefully chosen the battle field; there were no obstacles around, only plain flat ground, large amount energy existed in the surroundings convertable into raw matter which enabled her to conjure water. Her opponent didn't seem to absorb any external energy, it was definately using a different kind of magic. This also provided her a vast amount of reserve energy and the ability to use it directly, if water based attacks weren't sufficient. Which were not...

The dark creature rose up as though nothing had happened, there were no sign of injuries. It ran with inhuman speed getting behind her in an instant. Cassidy's body couldn't keep up with its speed, but her eyes could. A sheild of water formed in mid-air absorbing the impact of the creature's punch. The old guardian quickly turned around while moving the shield and slamming it on her enemy. The creature lunged forward trying to keep their distance at minimum, then attacked Cassidy with a series of punches and kicks. 'Martial arts!?!' There was no time to raise another barrier so she tried to block the attacks as they were too fast to be dodged. She simply couldn't belive the sheer strength and precision in its blows. Not only each and every attack bypassed her defences, but also the impacts were devastating. Her vision started to become blurry and her reaction time slowed down not to mention tons of bruises and a few broken bones.

Cassidy came up with a quick plan. She closed in defense like a turtle and concentrated on her magic. Water filled the battle field with a depth at least 60 meters. Her wounds slowly healed as she swam in her element with little effort. Cassidy saw the creature jumped out of the water, she shot a few water beams at it, but it dodged them all airborne with amazing agility. The dark creature then landed on the water surface as if it was solid. 'Showoff... This won't save you from me.' Cassidy caught her opponent by suprise, by forming a whirlpool beneath it. With her enemy brought down into the sea she created, Cassidy only had to wait till it die from lack of air.

To her suprise it seemed that it didn't have to breath at all, just like the water guardian. The creature attacked her again, but this time the presence of water had decreased its speed allowing Cassidy to keep her distance (the water had no effect on her). She then started to increase the depth of the water while holding the creature at the bottom of the sea. The creature of darkness slowed down with increasing pressure. After a few minutes it finally fell on to its knees, Cassidy could hear its cracking bones. It was now crawling in pain; she knew it would be over soon or so she thought. The creature slammed its hand on the ground and lift itself up. It swam towards its foe with an incredible effort, Cassidy could see the new determination in its eyes. She desperately tried to increase the pressure as the dark one reached her. It grabbed her arm and snapped it. The pain broke Cassidy's concentration and with it the sea disappeared. Both of them fell onto the ground, the creature quickly stood up while Cassidy was holding her broken arm.

"You fought well guardian, but it ends here."

The creature loaded its fist with dark energy and landed an immensely powerful blow on Cassidy leaving her practically incapacitated. Then it took a few steps back, its hands filled with dark energy. Cassidy smiled, she knew what had to be done now. She stood up facing the dark one. Her mind was fixed on one thing, protecting Will even if it mean her end. 'Well, I guess this is it. At least I have a chance of doing something good before I'm destroyed.' She summoned her element for the last time using it to merge herself and the mental sheild she created for Will. The creature saw what she was doing and immediately fired an extremely powerful beam of dark energy. As the beam hit her a light shined from her, she was still smiling despite the pain.

Will had been watching the entire battle from the beginning. She tried to help Cassidy but they were in some other dimension. She prayed for her as the battle went on. And then the creature launched its final spell. Will saw Cassidy smiling at her while she started to fade away. Will tried hold on to her, but her hands just phased through. Will heard her last words as she dissolved into nothingness.

"Will... always remember that... the Heart... belongs to you... and only you..."

Cassidy was gone...

Light left, as darkness returned. Tears dropped from Will's eyes, she just couldn't bear the tought of it. Fear consumed her, fear of the unknown and sorrow for all she had lost. 'Why did it had to be this way? What did that creature wanted? What had become of Maqi and Ari? Why did a whole world and the afterworld had to suffer? Why it had to happen to Cassidy? WHY!...Why...why..."

"Your theatrical performance is rather amusing guardian. Weeping for those who have passed away, instead of readying yourself against my arrival rightful owner of the Heart."

Will wiped her tears, snapped out of her fear, stand tall and strong with fury in her eyes "I'm not afraid you..."

"Ha ha ha HA HAHA! Now thats more like it! I like to face my opponents at their best. No matter how weak they are."

"Who or whatever you are we will stop you. DO YOU HEAR ME! WE WILL SEND YOU TO BACK TO THE HELLS YOU CAME FROM!"

"Shout and threaten me as much as you like you insignificant worm. Not even the ultimate sacrifice can hold me back completely. I'll get rid of you here and now!"

Darkness poured into Will penetrating all the magic barriers she summoned. Her heart started to beat slower, she felt an excruciating pain in her mind and darkness corrupted her soul. Her perception of life started to change; sorrow swallowed happiness, desperation replaced hope, determination shifted to fatalism, and love became hatred... only the Heart remained. A white light burst out the pendant piercing through darkness banishing it and cleansing everything it tainted. Now Will could see Taranee at last.

"Will are you alright?"

Will tried to pull herself together. Although the Heart saved her, she knew it wasn't able to defeat the creature of darkness. And Cassidy...

"Yes Tara, I'm fine. Lets return to Orube's house, we have a lot to discuss."

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Villa Ludmoore, an old mansion on outskirts of Heatherfield, once owned by the alchemist Johnathan Ludmoore. The mansion would be demolished within a week. It was the last chance of Cedric to find a way out of his imprisonment. The Oracle had binded him with a spell that stripped him of his powers and let him live on Earth, there he was supposed to go through rehabilitation. Cedric hated his current state of existence as a manager of a bookstore. Long weeks he seeked books about magic to regain his former glory, but all of them turned out to be worthless. As he walked in the garden of the mansion, he hoped that he would be more fortunate here.

Esmeralda and Vanessa entered garden walking swiftly over the flowers to the doors of Villa Ludmoore. They both noticed Cedric at the same time.

"Vanessa do not let him in, the last thing we need is a witness. I'll get to Ludmoore."

"As you wish, but I warn you I'm not good with words. This might end ugly."

They went their seperate ways. Esmeralda quickly reached the back door. She put her hand on the lock. The door opened with a small explosion. She then entered the mansion holding a small bag in her hand. A man blocked her passage to the library "What are you doing here, young lady? This building is off limi-". Esmeralda paralyzed the man by just looking at him. When she reached the library, she almost instantly spotted the Book of Elements written by Johnathan Ludmoore, only to be his own prison. The eye of the book curiously watched Esmeralda as she put the book on the table, and took out five coloured gems out of the small bag. She then carefully placed the five gems on its cover opening all its locks. An evil laughter came from the book.

Note1: Next chapter is 'Searching the Enemy'. I'll update within a week.

Note2: Please review, please. I need to know how I'm doing so far! Waiting for your constructive critisms.


	3. Searching the Enemy

Updated sooner than I hoped! The first day finally ends in this chapter, and the new day brings new suprises with it. The story will become further complicated but completely independent from the Ludmoore saga from this point and next chapter will be very critical. Beware the twists in the plot and don't forget that every detail counts. Have fun!

Guest Starring: Cedric, Johnathan Ludmoore, Orube

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own W.i.t.c.h. comics or tv series along with all the characters related.**

**Chapter 3****: Searching the Enemy**

Fortress of Kandrakar, Yesterday

Chaos... The only word suitable to explain the activities in the Fortress...

Desperation... The only word suitable for the congregation's state of mind...

Fear... The only word suitable in order to understand the single emotion everyone feels this very moment...

Darkness... The only word suitable to describe the unknown enemy...

Destruction... The only word suitable for the things they have done...

The Fortress of Kandrakar was under siege. Dark energy projectiles pierced the Kandrakarian barriers and laid waste upon the Fortress's outer walls. Yes, outer walls... The council was shocked when the Oracle announced the Fortress were to be prepared for war three weeks ago. No one understood the reason for it, but he asked them to trust him once more. Everyone worked hard for the last three weeks. Two new layers of walls were added, the old ones were improved and on them new towers and turrets were built. The threshold was strengthened by the elders and the Triad themselves. Countless magic barriers were summoned around the fortress.

Many volunteers came from the nearby worlds to answer the call of Kandrakar. Magical creatures of good nature offered their services. Master blacksmiths crafted mighty weapons, armors and shields, sorcerers enchanted these masterpieces with powerful magics, and blademasters trained the young so that they could be worthy enough to wield them. Soon a vast army was raised and joined the huge battalion of Kandrakar's White Heralds formed by Endarno under the request of the Oracle. Elders conjured various constructs; ballistas, catapults and magic cannons. Kandrakar now truly deserved the title of a fortress. Yet some worlds like Metamoore, Basiliade and Arkhanta couldn't assist Kandrakar for the Oracle's call to arms never reached them and also everyone had the same question in their minds... Normally he would never involve others in the Fortress's battles, but desperate times called for desperate measures and this time the threat came from beyond, not within. And after that three weeks...

From depths of the realm of Chaos they came. Legions of dark creatures, monstrosities of all shape and size marched towards the threshold. Many perished there, but it couldn't stop them for their master brought down the threshold within seconds. The army greeted them on the fields of cloud before the Fortress. The battle was fierce and lasted hours, but despite all their heroism they were eventually swarmed by the overwhelming numbers of the enemy. None of them survived...

Now elders were running through the corridors trying to find their posts determined by Endarno as the enemy's infernal machines bombarded the Fortress. The White Heralds who were stationed in the fortress all the time, were trying to protect the walls. All the explosions, shoutings and the sounds of battle could be heard from the hall of congregation. The Oracle was meditating. If it weren't for his preparations they would have been destroyed already. After the message of the voice he knew this would come. One dreadful demented voice surpassed all the sounds.

"**Have you decided to surrender Oracle? My army will soon crush your pathetic resistance. Why aren't your guardians here? Perhaps they have abandoned you... No, you're just thinking of their welfare, trying to protect them from the Fortress's utter defeat!"**

The Oracle didn't answer that. The dark one was half-correct, he knew that it was actually afraid of the guardians, but he also did care about them. They were not ready yet. 'That dark creature really must be fearing them or it would have attacked them first, not the Fortress... It wants to cut their source of power! I must find a way to delay this!' Oracle stood up and walked to the balcony. Suddenly the creatures ceased fighting. He gazed at the battlefield, he was suprised by the change of events so was the White Heralds and the elders. Oracle looked up into the sky, then he saw it...

"This- this can't be!"

"**You seem ****to be shocked Oracle, but you'll have a lot of time to absorb the information, in Oblivion that is!"**

A colossal beam of darkness tore the remaining barriers of the Fortress and hit the Oracle. The dark one continued to release dark energy as the Oracle tried to hold up his magical sheild against this superior power. Endarno and Yan Lin joined him and soon all of the elders were reinforcing his sheild. The magic sheild transformed, covering the entire Fortress and its surroundings. It became more stronger as Kandrakarian magic flowed within it, seperating the Fortress from the enemy, and finally it changed into a Veil. They were safe now. Or were they?

The Veil shattered in a matter of seconds. The resulting implosion knocked out all the elders, only the Oracle was still standing. The creature cried out with triumph, it flew towards the Fortress as the Oracle waited for the inevitable. The dark one halted as it reached the former limit of the Veil. It couldn't advance! It tired to bring down the invisible barrier... It was no use... The abomination sensed the source of the problem.

"**So you have allies in higher places****, Oracle. Don't get overconfident though, this new Veil is a double edged sword. I may not be able to get through, but you won't be able to get out either! Oh and your magic seems to be contained as well."**

"You've gained nothing you monster. The guardians will stop you!"

"**Ha ha ha ha! The guardian****s are nothing without their supply of power and the Triad's guidance. I've accomplished one my goals, but do not think that I'm finished with the Fortress as nothing is impregnetable. I'll find an alternative route inside and first I think I'll pay a visit to Arkhanta. Also I believe you shouldn't depend on your so called ally Oracle, be careful not to be backstabbed. Ha ha ha ha! By the way a little gift from me..."**

The creature touched the invisible Veil, darkness covered the inter-dimensional barrier denying light into the Fortress, the dark one then vanished along with its army. A few minutes later all of the elders were conscious. They made several attemps to destroy the Veil, which were all unsuccessful. Yan Lin approached the Oracle.

"Oracle, I know I haven't questioned you till now, but why didn't you summon the guardians?"

"We were destined to be defeated Yan Lin. You witnessed that creature's power. If they were here, they would have perished. Outside the Veil at least they have a chance to stop that abomination." He could see that she was getting worried about her granddaughter and the other girls.

"This Veil of Darkness has cut off all of our connection with the rest of the infinite universes. That thing imprisoned us here and the aurameres can't reach the girls. They are powerless Oracle! And what I don't understand is why did it trap us instead of destroying us?"

The Oracle did not answer that either. Unlike Yan Lin and all the other elders he was aware that this Veil was created by the voice to protect them. 'All makes sense now, or at least a part of it. The voice's last message hid many secrets. The things happening now were supposed to occur differently. The Fortress was destined to be defeated. I was rewarded with an exile itself, not only the changes I recieved there. I were to continue my banishment while Phobos became the Oracle, he would then banish the council, appoint new guardians and proclaim himself emperor of the infinite worlds. And this day he would have been annihilated along with the Fortress! It was planned all along, including Phobos's escape from the Tower of Mists. Yet, somehow we... no the guardians altered the course of events. What will become of them now?... No! I believe in them, they are **the** chosen ones.' Yet there were still many questions unanswered.

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Villa Ludmoore, The present

It was 16:43 pm, there was a windy weather with clouds over the outskirts of Heatherfield. Two people were having a rather one sided conversation in the gardens of Villa Ludmoore. Cedric wasn't quite sure why he was listening some human's nonsense. Yet he stopped and listened when this young girl said she really wanted to get to know a charming person like him. At first, they exchanged a few words with each other, then she started a non-ending monologue, it had been almost half an hour! Cedric thought that his patience was being tested by Kandrakar and imagined the Oracle laughing at him. The girl finally stopped to take a breath. "Miss, your speech about downtown clubs was... educational... But I do have an appointment with the land lord, so if you allow me..."

Vanessa had tried her best, but now she was out of topics and the man before her was getting impatient. She could not allow him to enter the mansion, not before Esmeralda finished her buisness with Ludmoore. She hold his hand and tried give him a sad face "Please stay! I really need some company... It's just... I've been so lonely lately." She didn't hope her trick would work as she wasn't good in acting and Cedric certainly wasn't the soft hearted type.

"Look young lady, I really have work to do. And I would request that you let go of my hand, please."

Vanessa ran out of ideas. She took a final look at the backyard of the mansion, Esmeralda was nowhere to be seen. She then tightened her grip on Cedric's hand and punched him in the face. 'I knew it would come to this. Now must find a suitable lie to cover our mission...' Cedric was holding his bleeding nose, he tried to take a few steps back but he couldn't break free from her.

"What was that for!?"

Vanessa grabbed his throat with her other hand and started to choke him slowly. "Can't let you in handsome. My friend's taking a few books for safe keeping. It'd really be a waste of books with the mansion's demolition, wouldn't it? Buyers in the blackmarket find such things very valuable. Now, if ye promise to go home and speak not'n about it, I might let ye live. Okay?"

Normally Cedric would have sensed her lie, but the current humiliation caused his pride to cloud his perception. Lord Cedric would never submit to a common thief. His self control betrayed him "You'll pay for your insolence Earthling! I demand you set me free!"

Vanessa was suprised by the turn of events 'So he was an alien after all. He was too good look'n to be true anyway.' Still she had to protect their identities, she shoved Cedric right into a tree nearby. "Earthling!? What are ye nuts? You're speaking as though yer an alien. Maybe I'll just let ye go. None will believe a loony." She hoped the man would leave after he realized his mistake in revealing his origin.

Cedric on the other hand was boiling with anger, he lost his cool completely "I'll make sure you suffer the most painful death!" He threw a punch at her, which was easily dodged and followed by a knee to his stomach. Vanessa this time shoved him harder back at the tree. "You're lucky I can't use my magic Earthling..." She heard his whisper.

"Why can't ye? I'd absolutely like to see ye do'in magic, if it'll help ye against me. This fight's starting to get boring."

At the same moment in the center of infinity a Veil of Darkness created by an unknown power isolated the Fortress of Kandrakar from the infinite worlds. This also cut off all Kandrakarian magic with the rest of the universes. Cedric suddenly felt his power returning to him. 'I'don't know what happened, but I'm certainly not going to question it. Now the human will feel my wrath!'

Vanessa watched Cedric as he transformed into his lizard form.

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An intense blue light filled the library. Esmeralda was pretty much calm despite all the fireworks and the demented laughter coming out of the Book of Elements. She hoped it would be worth it, it took a whole day to find and capture the four gems. The fifth one, well now that was something special. A humanoid figure formed before her, Johnathan Ludmoore was finally free after years of imprisonment. Ludmoore stopped laughing and examined his surroundings. The power of the elements coursed through his body along with Metamoorian magic.

"At last I'm free!"

"Hi, I'm-"

"The power of the five elements are mine to use,..."

"Pardon me-"

"...the universes and Kandrakar will bow before me..."

"Sir-"

"...for I have gained the greatest power in the infinite universes!"

"HEY! Look over here!"

He turned in direction of the sound and saw his savior, he didn't feel any graditude towards the human girl. 'Still the Earthling might be useful, she must be strong in order to defeat the eternal guardians and bring the pendant.'

"You human gave me my freedom and you'll be rewarded accordingly..."

"May I-"

"...and of course someone of your potential can't simply be wasted..."

"Could you-"

"...therefore you can become one of my close cohorts."

"Are you done talking? If so, may I have a word with you?"

"I'll forgive your rude interruption for this time. You may speak."

"I believe you got the whole thing wrong Ludmoore. I'm not here to join you. I released you from the book so I can destroy you. Got it?"

"...!?!"

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Cedric didn't like the girl's reaction at all. He expected her to faint, run away or at least scream in terror. Instead she removed her jacket and then cracked her knuckles with a smirk on her face. Vanessa was happy that her opponent had some backbone. All this time she tried to be diplomatic (in her point of view) because she hated the idea of beating the hell out of such a charming guy. But a huge lizard with magical powers, that changed things...

"A shapeshifter eh? I haven't seen yer kind for some time. I think you're up for fight aren't ya Ceddy?"

"That's Cedric!... How did know my name!?"

Vanessa shrugged "Call it a lucky guess. Mine's Vanessa if ye feel disadvantageous."

"I'll return the favour by writing it on your gravestone!" Cedric attacked her with his tail, claws and magic beams. Vanessa was forced to stay defensive, but almost all of his attacks missed her and minor wounds didn't seemed to trouble her. As minutes passed his attacks slowed down, slow enough for her to take on the offensive.

"Hope ye had fun lizard boy! Cause here I come!" She jumped to the air and landed random blows on Cedric. Vanessa didn't practiced martial arts nor did she knew anything about the shapeshifter's anatomy, yet all of her punches hit his pressure points. Cedric raised a magic barrier. It was common knowledge among spellcasters that magic barriers and sheilds periodically fluctuate due to their nature, and at this certain moment the barrier disappeared for ten percent of a second. Vanessa either had perfect timing or she was just very lucky.

Cedric collapsed on the ground and screamed with pain, as Vanessa jumped back keeping a good ten meters between them. 'This is not enough I have to get stronger.' He concentrated on his magic and transformed again. This time he was on two feet with wings on his back. Cedric immediately flew up into the sky, after a certain altitude he dived onto his prey. Vanessa picked stone from the ground and threw it at Cedric as he descended upon her. Even though she did not aimed while throwing it, the stone hit him right in the eye. Cedric crashed down like a meteor.

"Look Ceddy you're powerful'n all that, but ye still don't stand a chance against me. Why not give up before it's too late?"

Cedric stood up and advanced towards her. He fell down again by a well placed kick fromVanessa. 'I need more power!' Cedric reached into his deepest energy reserves and salvaged all the remaining magic that Phobos had gave him before. He grew larger and stronger, his wings disappeared, a tough shell covered his skin, and his face deformed into that of a hideous beast.

"Now you shall feel my true power!"

"Gett'in bigger and uglier won't change a thing Ceddy. This is my last warning, give up."

Cedric roared and started to charge a huge energy ball between his hands. The premature explosion shook the whole mansion, Cedric's chest shell had cracked and he was bleeding seriously. 'How did that happened? I've done exactly what the spell required. Why did it went haywire?'

"I thought it was time to remove the kiddy gloves Ceddy. I'm bored so I'll ask you one last question. What's the probability that all of your body functions will fail at the same time?"

Vanessa's eyes glowed in silver. Cedric struggled with pain trying to resist whatever she was doing to him, it was all futile. 'Could a mundane defeat me, Lord Cedric?... No it can't be happening... Nooo!!!'

"If it will make ya feel better, yer probability of defeating me was pretty much close to zero. Should've listened to my warnings Ceddy."

Lord Cedric felt one last sharp pain and then he felt nothing.

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"Do you really think you can defeat me... after giving me the elemental gems and the very Heart of Kandrakar itself! I'm unstoppable with its infinite power!"

"Oh yes the Heart... You see all of this was made for the sake of the guardians and neither I nor the rigthful owner would ever give it to you. So I transmuted a copy of it. The elemental gems you ask? The guardians will need them later on so they're real. Yet even the power of the four elements won't be able to save you..."

Ludmoore fired deadly rays which contained the combination of all four elements. A huge explosion took place as the beams made a direct hit. When the smoke dispersed, Ludmoore saw that Esmeralda was still standing although she had quite a number of holes and depressions on her body, and some of them were exceptionally large. Half of her face, her whole left arm, a large portion of her right shoulder, one third of her belly had evaporated completely and many other smaller depressions had formed too. There were no blood on the cavities with strange metallic surfaces. To Ludmoore's horror electrical sparks appeared on the holes and they started to close. Soon she was good as new.

"Now that wasn't very nice of you." said Esmeralda while cleaning the dust of her dress. She then put her hand on her damaged hat, a faint light emitted from it. She put on the newly repaired hat and brought its shades down tying them to the collar of her dress. Ludmoore was positively dumbstruck.

"As an alchemist Ludmoore, you probably know the two original purposes of this practice. The first was to transmute gold out of different materials, which was usually lead. The second one was the search for immortality. For this purpose countless potions were brewed in search of the Elixir of Life and many objects were created to achieve the Philosopher's Stone. You Ludmoore seeked your Philosopher's Stone in the Heart of Kandrakar. What a fool were you."

Ludmoore was finally able to speak "The Heart and the four elements's power is limitless, immortality will be mine. After I dispose of you I'll get my hands on the Heart!"

Esmeralda's kind yet scary voice stopped him from unleashing another group of elemental beams "You poor naive thing... Your perception of creation is so shallow that you'd think any mere magical artifact is infinitely powerful. The Heart of Kandrakar is only a small fragment of a greater whole. And about your immortality, I think I might lend you a help in that area." Esmeralda touched the edge of the table nearby. A magical electric charge flowed from the table to the floor, from there to Ludmoore. He tried move away, but he felt that his feet become heavier and realized he couldn't move his ankles. When he looked down, he saw his body petrifying. He resorted to his powers but they weren't working. Ludmoore screamed in denial, soon he was nothing but a perfect statue that would have been remembered forever if it were in public display.

'Now that's a fine immortal piece of art.' Esmeralda turned her attention to the Book of Elements and started to work on it. She used some of Ludmoore's old alchemy tools and started to transmute the copy of the Heart. It changed shape and turned into a simple purple gem. She also altered the socket on the cover of the book so the fifth gem could fit in. After a few minutes she put the final gem on the cover as a Veil of Darkness was raised far away, the five gems started to glow. 'Well, I'm right on schedule, now the guardians will be able to use their powers.' The Book of Elements was now substituting the aurameres of Kandrakar.

A huge explosion shook the mansion. 'Guess I better go out and check up on Vanessa...' Outside the window she saw clouds, a storm was coming. A storm that would shake the very foundations of the infinite universes. Esmeralda took the book and before she exited the library she took a final look at Ludmoore. 'Then again I shouldn't take the risk. The guardians do not need another threat and as for us...' She snapped her fingers reducing the statue into dust.

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It was raining heavily that night in Heatherfield. A girl was running down the street holding her briefcase above her head. 'Damn those so called weather reporters, fortune tellers make better predictions than them. Next time I'll trust my instincts, not some man on tv, and esspecially not Irma!' In fact Irma did told her that it would have been a clear and sunny day while showing her the weather forecast. At first she didn't want to risk getting all wet and decided to wait in her office till it stopped raining, but then she got a phone call from Cornelia. 'And I had to lose that bus ticket when I needed it!' Orube almost never used public transportation, she prefered walking instead. Finally, she saw her house at the end of the main street.

Clouds covered the sky, but Will knew a star was missing behind them. Everyone in the room was silent, drowned in their own thoughts. Hay Lin was concerned about her grandmother, she kept thinking on what might have happened to Kandrakar. Cornelia was trying to figure out the identity of the enemy, but this was impossible at the moment because none of what Will told them were useful. The current clues lead to no where. Taranee on the other hand was trying to find if any connections existed between the disappearences and this new enemy. She was starting to think they were mutually exclusive. Irma was thinking about the disappearences too, but for a different reason. She remembered Martin mentioning about a penpal in France, this explained his behavior perfectly. As for Will, she could only think about Cassidy. Her soul had been damaged ever since that thing attacked her and she could sense the Heart of Kandrakar was lesser now. The Heart of Cassidy had vanished along with her. Sorrow dominated Will.

The door opened and Orube entered in. It was obvious that something sad had happened, something more than the disappearences Cornelia mentioned on the phone. She went upstairs changed her wet clothes and came down without saying a word. Orube sat on the floor and observed them. As a trained warrior she was good at reading people's emotions from their facial expressions. They were all troubled, sad and confused, but Will... There was something was strange about her. She waited patiently until they were ready to talk.

Will turned towards Orube and spoke with a whisper like voice "Orube... You must have heard about the disappearences... We couldn't find any clues... but we learned that Arkhanta has fallen to a creature of darkness..."

Orube didn't say anything. Not that she didn't care about that world, but she knew Will had more to say.

Will continued "We have lost connection with the fortress... and the enemy attacked me... it would have killed me if weren't for Cassidy..."

The name ringed many bells in Orube's mind, she knew where this was leading to. Irma saw a drop of tear in Orube's eye. She couldn't resist asking "You knew her?"

Orube took a deep breath and answered in a calm tone "Yes, I did."

Hay Lin was a bit suprised "How come you never told us about this?"

"We were always preoccupied by the dangers we faced or our daily lifes and... It was never brought up in a conversation. I believed she was resting in peace..."

"Poor Cassidy, she had to die twice." If looks could hurt physically Irma surely would be hospitalized.

"Please, tell us more about her." asked Taranee.

"Okay then... When I first arrived at Kandrakar I was eight or nine Earth years old..."

Orube told all of the good memories she had with the old water guardian. They had immediately became friends when they first met. She told that Cassidy was a very good person (to a high degree of naivity) and they used to play with each other whenever she dropped by the Fortress. The guardians had forgotten their troubles and were listening to Orube's memories.

"...and after some time I asked her if she coud be my sister."

"You're kidding! That's so sweet. What was her answer?" said Hay Lin with excitement.

"Well, she said yes. We became even closer after that. She always told tales about their adventures with the other guardians, she was my idol. I used to dream of becoming a great hero like her. She even sometimes sparred with me, I was never able to defeat her."

"Didn't grandma befriended you?"

"As I told before Yan Lin or the other guardians never saw me. It was Cassidy who sneaked into the Fortress for exploration. She called them educational trips. She must have uncovered many secrets of Kandrakar that perhaps only the Oracle knew. Anyway..."

Will and Taranee looked at each other and then continued to listen Orube more carefully.

"She one day asked Luba if she could take me to Earth with her and... she refused. Luba already didn't approve me seeing Cassidy."

"That grumpy old cat. What's wrong with that!" Irma really felt Cornelia's glare on her, but Orube answered her nevertheless.

"You know, the usual excuses. 'The guardians have important matters to attend, you shouldn't disturb them.' blah blah blah. Of course skipping training sessions to be with her didn't helped either."

"You... The ultimate disciplinary warrior skipped training!" This time Irma returned the favour to Cornelia.

"I was young then and I really loved her. She was my only family after all. Years passed like that... And one day things changed when the guardians returned from Metamoore. No missions were given to them, yet they had gone there and something happened at Metamoore. Luba kept me away from the discussions so I couldn't see everything. All I knew was that the Oracle demanded the Heart from Nerissa and she refused."

"Then how come the Heart was taken from her? Only the keeper of the Heart can give it to another person." Will asked curiously.

"It was quite ugly. Halinor the fire guardian made her give up the Heart by using her telepathy. Nerissa screamed in agony for a long time, I thought that her head was being cracked open."

Irma giggled, "That must be the point when Nerissa became mental."

"She wasn't actually an evil person before that, mean but not evil." said Orube as she shrugged.

Will observed that things that had been said earlier contradicted Orube's story. Now she thought that what Yan Lin, Kadma and the Oracle told them were way too simple. Nerissa got corrupted by the power of the Heart and turned evil... Too simple. She only got more intrested.

Taranee heard her thoughts "By the way, did you know why did the Oracle wanted the Heart back?"

"No one told me anything about it and neither did I heard or saw anything. I can speculate many reasons, but the actual one..."

Now Cornelia was becoming suspicious too "Please continue."

"After that, the Oracle gave the Heart to Cassidy. We didn't see each other again, a few days later Luba told me she was killed by Nerissa..."

Orube was crying silently, so was everyone in the room.

Later on outside Orube's house five girls walked to the bus stop under the heavy rain. The guardians had learned more than sad and happy memories, they found a clue. They looked silently at each other, even Taranee couldn't hear their thoughts. The betrayal of Nerissa hid many secrets about their enemy and all of it happened at Metamoore. Hay Lin broke the silence.

"I can't believe they lied to us... My grandma lied to me." She knew Orube wasn't lying, she didn't sense anything with her new power while listening to her.

Irma tried to comfort her "Don't think like that Hay. Yan Lin might have been unaware of what was going on. It is that baldy who knows everything so this is his fault!"

"The point is, all we know is that something happened during the time of the previous guardians. Something that triggered the events." said Cornelia trying make their purpose clear. The guardians's investigation skills had improved a lot over the past two years.

Will looked at them, they all nodded. "Then it's decided. Tomorrow after school we go to Fadden Hills." A single lead... a piece of hope was all that required to seal the wound in her soul.

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The shining sun saluted the people of Heatherfield after last night's terrible storm. The new day held many things in store for the students of Sheffield Institude for many new exchange students and teachers had arrived today. Will was actually happy to see new faces around. She sat on the stairs in front of the main door and watched the crowd of people. Then she saw a strangely dressed girl who seemed to be lost, she tried to see her face but the shades wouldn't allow it. The girl then sat next to her. Will decided to be the first to welcome her.

"Hello! You're new aren't you. I'm Will and welcome to Sheffield Institude."

"Greatly appreciated. My name is Esmeralda. Would you be kind enough to show me where-"

"Your class is? Of course, let me see... weird time table you have... How lucky, we have both have chemistry now. I'll show you the way, come on."

It was certainly one of Will's overflowing with energy days. They ran to the classroom, as they passed a few corridors Esmeralda suddenly stopped, she was out of breath.

"Are you alright? What happened?" Will helped her lean on the wall.

"I'm really... not a good... athlete at all... I tire... quickly... Need to... catch my breath."

Will scolded herself for being reckless, she should've considered her closed clothing and shades "I'm sorry-"

"Please don't be. I'm fine now, shall we proceed?"

They both entered the classroom, which was almost full already. There were many new students from foreign countries and everyone was talking real loud. Cornelia waved at them from the back seats. Next to her was a new student, one tough looking girl. Four of them started a pleasant conversation after the introductions. Esmeralda was pretty enthusiastic with talking, even more than Cornelia while Vanessa said only a few words. Cornelia was curious about Esmeralda's dress.

"So what's the closed up dress for? It's almost spring and not to judge your tastes but isn't that a bit 18th century fashion. And the hat with shades, we're indoors you know."

"I... I suffer from a recently discovered variety of hypomelanism, I require sunscreening."

None of them said anything about it, they just continued talking until Upsitz warned everyone that Knickerbocker was approaching. The guardians were excited about the new chemistry teacher, because he or she could be an agent. Will turned to Esmeralda "Why don't you sit behind me. There's not much sunlight over there."

"Will I can't. You see-"

When principle Knickerbocker entered the classroom only Esmeralda was standing. Students looked at her as wondering how this situation would end. Knickerbocker saw her and;

"Professor Alvarez, good to see you. I was thinking you wouldn't be attending today either."

The class's reaction was priceless. All of them were speechless esspecially Will and Cornelia with the exception of Vanessa who was enjoying it. Esmeralda went to the board and stood near the principle. "Class! This is professor Esmeralda Alvarez, and she will be your new chemistry teacher from now on. I trust you all will treat and respect her as a teacher even if she is younger than you..."

"She's younger than us!?" whispered Cornelia to Vanessa.

"Yeah, she's fourteen."

"You know her? And by the way how old are you?"

"I'm eighteen and if ye ask what'm doin here, I haven't finished high school yet. And I know her, because I'm her legal guardian. They wouldn't let'er tutor without adult supervision."

After Knickerbocker finished her speech and left Emeralda tried to find a way out of this awkward situation. Will was the first to snap out of it. She saw the front of the blackboard took the sun light directly "Esme- Prof. Alvarez perhaps we should draw the curtains?"

"Yes that would be fine Will... And you... All of you can call me by my name."

Her sweet voice broke the uneasiness, a few students got up to help Will. Soon the room was dark enough to switch on the lights. Esmeralda then carefully untied her shades from her collar and removed her hat revealing her face. The impact of the first suprise could only be equaled the second one. The class was silent again, and this time it was her looks that dazzled them (yes even the girls). Her pale white skin, snow white hair and blood red eyes only gave a uniqueness to her beauty.

"Okay... Shall we start now?" she said with a beautiful smile on her face.

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Note1: Next chapter is "The Hidden Truth". I'll update in a week.

Note2: Reviews... Don't forget to review, please!


	4. The Hidden Truth part1

Hello everyone! I hope you all enjoyed the first three chapters. Now this is a BIG one. The fourth chapter is a story on its own and is critical in the overall storyline. The beginning might be a bit boring (I had to set the background), but there is plenty of action later on. New characters will be introduced as well, but some of them will appear only for this chapter. Since it is long I broke the chapter into **Act**s and to increase the effect of the finale, I carried the chapter end notes over here.

Note1: I know I wasn't on time for this chapter but it was a bit long. Anyway the chapter will continue with its second part next time I update.

Note2: If there are things you don't understand about the plot, look back at the previous chapters. I'm telling again, every detail counts. And don't forget that the whole story is really long, so more questions and answers will be revealed later on.

Note3: I know there are a lot of grammer and spelling mistakes, but I will polish the chapters over time.

Note4: Please review, please! I need to know what you think about it. Flames are not accepted.

Chapter Guest Starring: Cassidy, Nerissa, Halinor, Kadma, Yan Lin

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own W.i.t.c.h. comics or tv series along with all the characters related.**

**Chapter 4: The Hidden Truth**

**Prologue**

Flowers were something special in Fadden Hills. Every garden was a parade of all kinds of colourful flowers rejoicing the coming of spring, and one such garden surpassed all the others. In the neighborhood of Cypress Hills was the garden of the Rising Star Foundation, five girls were waiting outside of the huge residence in this cold night. The gates opened before them and the girls followed a blackbird named Cheepee to a greenhouse.

In the greenhouse an elderly woman was sitting, she was apperantly waiting for them. The girls noticed that the former guardian of Earth was sick. She was caughing regularly and breathing hard. She took some medicine as the girls sat down. Will was the first to speak "You were expecting us Kadma?"

The guardians waited until Kadma could speak. She cleared her throat, then "Yes… Ever since I lost my eternal gift I knew you would come."

Cornelia was confused "You lost your gift? How did that happen?"

This time it was Kadma's turn to get confused "You still possess your powers? The Kandrakarian magic that flowed through out the infinite worlds has disappeared. I can no longer feel the energy that kept me healthy all these years- cough-cough… That's why-cough… I'm like this now." Taranee and Irma helped her lay on a chaise longue.

"The Veil of Darkness no doubt." said Hay Lin.

"A Veil of Darkness? Wait… Why don't tell me everything first."

The girls told everything that happened yesterday; the disappearences of the three girls, the dark creature and of course Cassidy's sacrifice. Kadma stayed silent for some time, she thought about all the times she spent with her. Just remembering those broke her heart. Will ended the silence.

"A person who lived in Kandrakar told us about Cassidy and the memories she shared with her. The story she told us was different from everything we have ever heard. We believe that there might be a clue about the enemy during your trip to Metamoore."

Kadma looked at them, all of them were determined. They wanted answers. She coughed for a few minutes, and then she held her head with a sigh. "I know the person who destroyed Cassidy's spirit."

The girls jumped from their seats with excitement, their hearts filled with hope. They had made the right decision to come here, their judgement didn't fail them. Irma couldn't wait "Who was it then?"

"Patience young guardian-cough… I have to tell everything in proper order so there will be no confusion. I-cough… I never told you the whole story about us."

Taranee asked calmly "Why didn't you tell us everything?"

"Because you had to fight Nerissa-cough, cough… without further complications. As for the identity of the murderer, you should listen to the whole story in order to understand. After that you'll figure out who it was. Now do not interrupt as I speak…"

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**Act 1: A Young Maiden's Call for Help**

Act Guest Starring: Simca

The sun shined, celebrating its freedom as the cloud that covered it passed away. A sweet breeze touched Halinor's face. "Yan Lin is nearby, isn't she Cheepee?" said the blonde woman to the bird near her. An unusual person she was. She certainly had aged gracefully, but this didn't help with her communication with others. Halinor was a loner, at least when it came to human beings. This was ironic considering she was the popular girl in high school and collage. Yet she did have a lot of pets, every stray animal was welcome to her house. She looked up in the sky, the clouds were dispersing. Yan Lin was definitely getting closer.

Today was a special day; all five of them were getting together after fifteen years, even Cassidy would be there. Yan Lin and Nerissa were coming from Heatherfield and Kadma… well they shared the same house. She just couldn't stand Kadma's complaints about her not being social, so Halinor decided to arrange this reunion. Kadma came out of the kitchen and went to the balcony. "Halinor extinguish Cheepee, people are watching." The bird of pure flame disappeared with a movement of Halinor's hand. Kadma was the responsible type; she did most of the housework and worked at the Rising Star Foundation. Discipline was a strong trait of hers. Halinor's contribution to all of this was at minimum with the exception of shopping, she had retired a few years ago. It was then Kadma decided to move in Halinor's house, without her job she had further isolated herself from the world. Kadma couldn't allow that to happen.

They both saw Nerissa and Yan Lin walking towards them. Kadma thought about Nerissa, back in collage she was a renowned rhythmic gymnast and musician. But now she was barely walking with a crane. Nerissa spent most of her time in hospitals; she knew that she would soon join the congregation of Kandrakar. She really wanted see all her friends for the last time. Yan Lin on the other hand looked ten years younger and acted as if thirty years younger. She was still managing the Silver Dragon, refusing to retire and leaving it to her son. Yan Lin was the only guardian who had a large family, while the others had only a few relatives left.

All four of them were soon sitting on the balcony, admiring the view. They talked about the old days, when they rushed from adventure to adventure. It had been a long time since they last transformed and the Oracle gave them a mission. Well at least for the four of them…

"HERE I AM!"

They all jumped on their seats. "I swear… One day she's going to give me a heart attack." Kadma both hated and loved the childish nature of Cassidy. She appeared in a blue light right behind them. All four of them turned towards her. "Don't do that ever again! You know dear, we are not as young as we used to be." said Kadma as she hugged her and the rest of the guardians followed.

"Speak for yourself Kadma." said Yan Lin, then she examined the young lady. Cassidy's appearance was exactly the same as her guardian form, except for the wings and the costume of course. Unlike the others she was a complete guardian that is she didn't have a mundane life on Earth. Cassidy as child was a hopeless romantic; always dreaming of achieving great heroic deeds, helping people in need and experiencing all kinds of adventures not found in an ordinary life. All her dreams became true when she learned she was a guardian of Kandrakar. For the first two years she lived a double life just like the others until her parents were murdered by a burglar. She never seeked revenge, yet she decided to die along with them as there was nothing left on Earth for her. According to official records Cassidy died during a flood in Heatherfield when she was fifteen. That day she swore complete devotion to Kandrakar and was transformed into a guardian permanently by absorbing her auramere. But the Fortress never became her home, for Cassidy was a wanderer.

She travelled countless worlds, from Earth to the far edges of the universes and only returned for her friends, her sister and Kandrakar's call. Whether the Oracle or the council approved her actions didn't bother her much and they were not complaining either. The infinite universes were living a golden age of peace for it had been twenty Earth years since all five guardians were summoned to duty; Cassidy's travels (or patrols as named by the council) didn't count. They were all matchless as no evil could stand against them. It could be easily said that they were best guardians ever. And one guardian truly shined among these legends, Cassidy was the best of the best. Her name was known in every world she had been, known as a great hero. It was thanks to her that Kandrakar's order was praised everywhere. The guardians were not fairy tales or mere legends anymore; people now knew that they were out there to help them. It was even rumored that Nymph N'ghala spoke to her personally and named a star after her.

Nerissa always wondered why the Heart of Kandrakar was never entrusted to her at the first place. The crystal did glow at Cassidy when their destiny as guardians was revealed to them, but the Oracle proceeded with the original plan and appointed her as the keeper of the Heart. Usually it was the keeper of the Heart who leads the guardians, but in their case Cassidy was the leader. Nerissa stepped down from that position during their very first mission; she knew she wasn't suitable for the job. Cassidy also had a power that no one, not even the Oracle, could explain or understand. 'Perhaps he was afraid that she would become too powerful, after all she has that mysterious power of hers. I wonder what the Oracle will do when I join the council. Will she be the new keeper?'

Hours passed as they talked and drank tea. They were all pleased to be together once again, even Halinor seemed happy. Kadma was washing the dishes in the kitchen. It was then she saw blue sparks in mid-air near the entrance of the living-room. She took a deep sigh and kneeled near the sparkles examining them. 'I'll never understand how they always find the right adress.' She raised her hand while focusing on her magic. Halinor heard her thoughts and warned the others mentally. Nerissa and Yan Lin remained in their seats, Cassidy on the other hand stood behind Kadma just in case, while Halinor walked into the living-room through the second entrance as she conjured Cheepee again.

Kadma chanelled her energy into the portal before her. It seemed that the person or thing on the other side had some trouble with opening it. Soon a ball of light formed within the sparkles and growed until it covered the whole entrance and completed its transformation into a doorway between two worlds. Kadma was intentionally holding the Warp traveller in the Cross-Roads (the name given to inter-dimensional passageways) so that everyone could get ready. 'Cassidy I got the location of the portal's source. Which world is this?' asked Nerissa through telepathy. The coordinates of the source reached Cassidy's mind, she had a lot of time to study many maps of the universes and each world's basic history 'A backwater planet named Metamoore. The world inhabits many different races and magical creatures, and is ruled by a lineage of humans; descended from Escanor who was sent by one of the former Oracles to end a planet size civil war. Just for the record, I've never been there.' All of them acknowledged her.

'Are you all ready?' asked Kadma with caution.

Yan Lin spoke for the rest 'Fire it away Kadma!' They were all ready…

Kadma removed her magic that barred the portal. A figure of a young tall human girl took shape. She had a pretty face with deep gray eyes and dark brown waist length braided hair. Yan Lin thought that she had to be in her twenties. The girl wore an apparently traditional dress of Metamoore nobility with a black cloak on top of it. The girl seemed to be amazed by the sights as she was facing the balcony which had a good view of the city. Then she noticed Kadma as she went near her and closed the portal. She looked around her and saw Cassidy. She immediately kneeled before her and spoke with a formal tone.

"I am the humble ambassador of the light of Meridian, Queen Fiona. I have brought her majesty's message to the guardian of Kandrakar." Then she waited in that position with her head bowed down.

In many worlds Cassidy was mistaken as the sole guardian of Kandrakar. This was normal considering the other four were absent during the last twenty years. She bent down, held the girl's chin and gently lifted her head up so that they could make eye contact.

"You need not kneel before me. Why don't you first sit down and relax." said Cassidy with a warm smile.

The girl slowly stood up and Kadma showed her one the chairs. As she sat down she looked uneasily at the four elderly women and Cassidy. Halinor felt her fear; she was in a foreign world with strangers around her after all. Nerissa spoke first "What's your name?"

The girl mustered her courage "I'm Simca from the house of Hoél." She was still fascinated by the view of Fadden Hills.

"Okay Simca, what's your Queen's message?"

She quickly snapped out of her awe "Oh yes… Her majesty requests that the guardian of Kandrakar meet her in the palace of Meridian. The city of Nevres has been captured by a large group of bandits. We have been peaceful people for centuries. Crime hadn't been witnessed for years and our armies were disbanded after the Great War. The small amount of guards can't take care of this threat. They killed so many… Please, you need to help us!" Simca slowly started crying.

Cassidy tried to comfort the young girl "Don't worry I'll come to Metamoore and help your people." She looked at the others, they all nodded at her. Nerissa waved hand and opened a new portal to Metamoore. Just as they were going enter it, Cassidy suddenly turned towards her friends.

"Hey! I have an idea. Why don't all five of us go together just like the old days?"

All four guardians looked at each other and then at Cassidy. It could be said that they weren't quite sure about this and neither was Simca.

She whispered to her "Why do you want them to come? And who are they anyway?"

Cassidy ignored her "Come on Nerissa, how about one last adventure before you join the council?"

Nerissa thought about it for some time and "Okay, one last adventure then it is."

"Count me in!" said Yan Lin happily. She was quite bored these days.

Halinor didn't say anything and Cassidy took the opportunity "I take your silence as a yes!"

Three were down and there was one more to go. Cassidy knew this one would be tough; Kadma could get as stubborn as it gets.

"No way am I going there! And you all (pointing at the other three) are staying where you are. Cassidy I know you're an exception but as guardians unless we have an official mission from Kandrakar we can not interfere with some other world's internal affairs. You may go if you like but we're staying."

"It's not like two countries are at war, its bandits. And the Oracle is watching us from Kandrakar surely he would have said something about it, if it was the wrong thing to do."

"But still-"

Cassidy resorted to her secret weapon. She put on her most innocent looking face (puppy eyes) and spoke with her cutest voice "Please…"

Kadma's resistance broke apart. This was one of the many reasons why she hated Cassidy's childish side. She simply couldn't resist such things. "…Alright… I guess we can do this for once, but with the first warning from Kandrakar we return."

"Yes, YES! Thank you Kadma! Thank you SO MUCH!" Cassidy jumped up and down like a little girl and hugged Kadma. And this was one of the many reasons why she loved her childish side. Cassidy used her magic and changed into her guardian uniform, her wings were visible now.

Simca couldn't help asking "Are you sure about this? I mean no offense… but even if they are guardians, they are still old women."

"Watch and learn Simca." said Yan Lin with a grin.

Nerissa summoned the Heart of Kandrakar. From the Heart four coloured spheres of energy came out and fused with the four guardians. As they transformed their appearences changed; they became younger and more beautiful. Their clothes changed into the purple&green guardian uniforms and flowery wings sprouted behind their shoulders. Simca couldn't say anything as she was flabbergasted. Cassidy on the other hand was in tears. It had been so long since she last saw them in their guardian forms. She wished that all five of them could remain as guardians together and forever…

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**Act 2: The Journey from the Palace of Meridian to the Ruins of Nevres**

Act Guest Starring: Simca, Johnathan Ludmoore, Prince Edmund, Queen Fiona, King Roland, Lord Cedric

The young prince Edmund was watching the fair city of Meridian from the palace. He couldn't understand the things happening lately. The whole planet lived in peace since the Great War. His ancestor prince Escanor and his knights Hoél, Didier, Grendal and Brandis arrived from another world under the guidence of Kandrakar centuries ago. The prince and the knights fought for the peace of a world they hardly knew. And peace they brought by ending the war. Ever since then his family became the sovereigns of Metamoore and ruled fairly.

But now brigands held a whole city hostage. Nevres was suffering greatly as dozens of people were killed every day and the bandits hadn't demanded anything yet. The hard working citizens of Nevres didn't deserve this. Edmund hated himself for being unable to do anything. According to reports the leaders of these outlaws were strong both in physical and magical combat. His lineage possessed powerful magic but they were no warriors like their forefather. Not even the Light of Meridian dared approach such powerful individuals. Then Simca of Hoél suggested they ask the help of yet another hero. The Queen accepted and with all her might tried to open a portal to the world known as Earth. At first it seemed that she wouldn't be successful, but someone from the other side opened the portal. Hope had returned to them as Simca went and came back with not only one but five guardians. Just like the five knights…

The guardians and Simca found themselves in the throne-room after they stepped out of the portal. The guardians weren't distracted by the magnificence of the palace and walked towards the throne. 'They can save Nevres.' this was the thought of everyone in the throne-room. All the nobles in the room felt the Elemantal magic overpowering the Escanor magic, and it could be seen from their eyes that they were battle hardened warriors. The guardians stood before the throne and bowed slightly at the three people before them. On the throne was Queen Fiona the Light of Meridian, on her right was King Roland and on her left stood Prince Edmund. Queen Fiona greeted them;

"I, Queen Fiona from the house of Escanor welcome you to the Palace of Meridian, dear guests. Though I know one of yours, I believe it would be in order if you all introduce yourselfs."

"I'm Nerissa the keeper of the Heart of Kandrakar your highness."

"Name's Yan Lin, I'm the guardian of air."

"Cassidy, guardian of water."

"My name is Kadma the guardian of earth your majesty."

"…Halinor… fire guardian."

"It seems I've been misinformed as I thought only one guardian existed. I'm glad I was wrong. Do you know why I called you here?"

Nerissa answered in a formal tone "Yes we do. We were summoned by your majesty to save the city of Nevres from outlaws."

"True enough."

King Roland spoke as the Queen sat down "According to the reports we received, Nevres is being held by approximately hundred bandits and about thirty alien mercenaries lead by four leaders described only to be extremely skilled warriors for six Jouna (eight Earth days). Each and every day citizens are killed and yet we have no idea of their motive."

"They will be stopped, no matter the reasons." Cassidy clearly stated their purpose for she wanted to end this as quickly as possible.

The Queen spoke again "Then please go with my blessings and may the stars illuminate your path."

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The guardians bowed again and left the throne-room after talking to Simca. Outside the palace Yan Lin used transposition to teleport them out of the city. None of them had been to Metamoore before so they couldn't pinpoint the location and teleport to Nevres. As a result they walked whole day through thick jungles following an old map given by Simca. Nerissa begged Kadma to create a road for them, but she insited on not disturbing the plants. It figured since she only used her element on rocks and barren soil, she was disgusted by the idea of manipulating plants. Halinor was about to suggest something but was instantly silenced by Cassidy to protect her from Kadma's wrath as she had used the words 'burn' and 'forest' in the same sentence. Yan Lin was flying above the jungle scouting ahead; she had no complaints about their current situation. It was just like the old days…

At night they camped in small opening encircled by tall trees. They were all lying down on the ground watching the stars.

"So Cassidy, when did you last see your little sister?" asked Yan Lin.

"Just a month ago…"

"How is she? Umm... Ah! Orube, that was her name."

"She is fine. You wouldn't believe how much she has grown. And she has learned a lot… Luba takes good care of her."

"Still not over that refusal eh?"

"Yeah… At least I still get to see her… She has improved much in unarmed combat, almost landed a blow on me during sparring."

Nerissa joined the conversation "Then she really must have potential, after all there aren't many who can make you sweat in martial arts let alone best you. Nobody can defeat you in an honest one on one duel."

"Nah, there will be always someone better than me. I wish Orube could come with us too. It would have been a great for her, training halls can never replace real life experience."

Kadma was against such ideas "It's too dangerous with her not being a guardian yet. And no matter how much potential she has, she's still an amateur."

Cassidy sighed "Speaking of amateurs, when are we going to have a chat with those two? They have been following us all day."

At the same moment two people were whispering to each other on a large tree branch high above the guardians.

"I can't hear what they are talking about. You sure they didn't notice us?"

"Positive. Look at them, they don't seem on-guard to me."

"Umm… Why are there only four of them then?"

A bird of fire appeared right in front of them and advanced towards them in a threatening manner. As they slowly backed away from it, the bird flew behind them. When they turned around, they saw a shadowy figure with two glowing red eyes looking at them. Both screamed and fell down on the ground. It certainly wouldn't have been a soft landing if it weren't for Yan Lin.

Cassidy watched their fall in horror. She was relieved when they landed safely, then she looked up at the tree "HALINOR! They could have been hurt seriously! What were you thinking!" Halinor climbed down the tree ignoring Cassidy's rebukes. She then sat down and started petting Cheepee without saying a single word. Cassidy, Yan Lin and Nerissa watched her unconcernedness with bewilderment as she was whispering to the fire bird. After they snapped out of it, Yan Lin and Nerissa pulled the uncoscious boy and girl, and layed them on a more comfortable place.

"When did she become like this?" asked Cassidy to Kadma quietly.

"It's a long story… She has been distant to almost everything ever since we decided to separate and go on with our own lifes. She slowly started to talk to people less and less; the only exceptions were stray animals, her fire beasts and us… She became better when I started to live with her but still… I really hate to see her like this…" Kadma was having a hard time with holding her tears.

Cassidy didn't push her further, she would eventually learn the whole story. For the first time she realized that she hadn't been aware of Halinor going downhill for the last twenty years. She couldn't feel guiltier about not being there for her friend. When the two teenagers finally gained cosciousness, they found the guardians waiting quietly for some explaination.

Now both of the young boy and girl were really afraid. Edmund was carrying a sword and sheild and wearing chainmail armor. Simca on the other hand was wearing a dark brown trench coat, a black shirt, and gray trousers with cycling gloves, boots and a gray scarf. She was completely unarmed. Cassidy spoke with a serious tone "Prince Edmund and Simca, what do you think you are doing here following us?"

Simca tried to look cute "So we could help you?" It was far from a convincing answer…

An hour later the whole group was finally done with the explainations. Prince Edmund had sneaked out of the palace to join the guardians, because he wanted to help his people and live up to the legacy of his ancestors. As for Simca, tradition required that any child of the house Hoél (or the other three houses) were to become a knight and protector of a designated member of house Escanor. And her's was pretty obvious. Although Simca was a knight, this whole thing was ceremonial (Metamoore at that time was absurdly peaceful); she had no combat training at all. Even Edmund's weapons were left from the Great War. Blacksmiths of the time refused to forge lethal tools. But it was too late to send them back and they were pretty much determined to follow the guardians.

When it was midnight Edmund spoke "I'll take the first watch."

The air guardian stopped him from getting up "Don't try to act brave young prince. We know you are exhausted. Catching up with us is not easy. And unlike you two we don't need food, water or sleep (applies only in guardian form)."

Simca was surprised "This means that… you stopped for us?"

Yan Lin smiled at her "Now go to sleep, both of you."

After that night the group walked for two weeks through the forests and a week on the plains. During that time both Simca and Edmund were trained by the guardians. The fact that they were slowing them down made them feel bad so they tried their best. Cassidy showed them the basics of unarmed and weapon combat. The prince got a hand of it just enough to defend himself from the common thug. But Simca was a natural; her moves had a grace that was rarely seen and she mastered several techniques in a few days that took Cassidy months to learn. Edmund's talents lied in somewhere else, magic. The powerful Escanorian magic that coursed through his veins were untamed and Nerissa made sure that the young prince used it with perfect control. Yan Lin taught him more advanced subjects; how to cast efficient spells, better ways of forming magic barriers, techniques of resisting enchantments (Simca also listened to this) and basic tactics for magic duels. Kadma lectured both of them about the history of the universes, the balance of nature and some other knowledges they lacked. Halinor… well her presence alone stopped them from ditching Kadma's lessons. They were terrified by her ever since that incident on the tree.

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Three weeks of walking was coming to an end as they finally saw Nevres on the horizon. The group camped a few kilometers away from the city. Yan Lin flew in circles above the city while invisible and returned to the camp after half an hour of scouting. The numbers given by King Roland seemed to be correct with the addition of scores of beasts. Entrance to the city from the river side was safe. Halinor actually had found out that most of the mercenaries where in the mountains surrounding Nevres. Her telepathy was so powerful that she could reach a previously contacted person's thoughts on another planet (of course this would probably drain her dry). She learned almost everything from one of the merceneries.

"Only a part of them are in the city. The rest are in the mines searching for something. They are lead by five warriors; one in the city, four in the mines."

The others were stunned; it wasn't the news as this was the first time Halinor had talked for the last three weeks, except for the usual 'yes, no'. Cassidy came to herself first;

"Who are these five guys and what are they looking for?"

"The one in Nevres is named Frost the Hunter, and the rest are Necroshade the Terror, Kilgrog the Eye Gouger, Ikhomatr the Twilight and Yaulash the Dusk. The last two and the mercenaries are from the planet Basiliade. As for the thing they search, something in the mines blocks me from reading their minds… And the simpletons outside know nothing about it… Wait! There is someone… but he is resisting… Let me speak to you…"

'What are you doing to me? Get out of my mind!'

'I'm just allowing us to communicate with our thoughts. Me and my friends only wish to help the people of Nevres and for that we need your help.'

'Okay… If that's the case… Who are you anyway?'

'We are the guardians of Kandrakar accompanied by your Prince Edmund and Simca of house Hoél. And you are?'

'…My name is Johnathan Ludmoore.'

'Okay Ludmoore, could you tell me what excatly happened?'

'…I was hired a Sethan ago (two and a half Earth years) by the lord of Nevres to lead an excavation in the mines. The miners couldn't dig further below because of a hard rock they had encountered. And I was needed for my expertise in alchemy. It took me quite some time to brew the required potion to melt the rock…'

'Yes?'

'Anyway, the amazing thing was that we found a huge door behind it. Its material and craftsmanship were fascinating, definitely belonged to a long forgotten civilization of Metamoore. We managed to open the first gate but then… Those barbarians came and killed most the miners only me and a few others escaped alive. Now their leaders are trying to find the second gate. I'm sure they knew about the underground complex from the beginning, they found our location in the mines too easily.'

'Could they be working for someone?'

'Yes that's possible, there could be someone who hired this thugs but I've never seen any of them taking orders from the outside.'

'Great… How are the people holding up now and… where can we find you?'

'I'm with the remaining people of Nevres in Lord Cedric's mansion. After the invasion we took shelter in here and fortified it as much as we could, yet still we have casualties every day and our supplies are running low…'

'Alright Ludmoore, I need you to relax and open your mind to me. By that I'll be able to transport everyone with me into the mansion without anyone noticing. Trust me…'

'…Fine.' Halinor possessed telepathic abilities that no former fire guardian had ever achieved. She closed her eyes and entered Ludmoore's mind. Her eyes opened somewhere else; she was now seeing through Ludmoore's eyes. The room was filled with Metamoorian's all looking at him. And a man that looked like the lord he mentioned. (note: Cedric at that time looked similar to Daltar)

'Tell them to clear the center of the room. It is there we'll appear.' Ludmoore did what she said and soon there was a large clear spot. Halinor scanned the others; they were all thinking of approval, they had heard the whole conversation. She then shared her vision with Nerissa, and then the keeper of the Heart of Kandrakar started the transposition.

The group was greeted by Ludmoore, Lord Cedric and the citizens of Nevres. All of them bowed before their prince.

"I Cedric, lord of Nevres welcome Prince Edmund of house Escanor to our fair city. Though I wished your highness could visit under… better circumstances. I also welcome Knight Simca of house Hoél and… Forgive my ignorance but I believe we haven't met before."

Edmund spoke before anyone could say anything "Lord Cedric, these are the guardians of Kandrakar; Cassidy, Nerissa, Yan Lin, Kadma and… Halinor." He tried not to make eye contact with the fire guardian who was looking at him with a scary face and petting Cheepee.

"Of couse I've heard of Kandrakar. Although I believed that there was only a single guardian. Nevertheless it's an honour to receive assistance from the celestial Fortress. As for the matter at hand; mansion is surrounded by-"

Cassidy interrupted him "We already know about their numbers and whereabouts for King Roland informed us. All we require is that the Prince and Simca protect the mansion while we clear the city and its mines."

Ludmoore asked for permission to talk "You'll need me if intend to find your way in the mines and ruins. Besides you need not worry about me. I had my share of battles on foreign worlds. Plus, I absolutely refuse my mind being read like an old parchment so I am coming with you."

"And we are coming too. We followed you here to help you, not to stay behind." said Prince Edmund. Simca nodded behind him.

"I will stand by your side too. I can't stay idle while my city and its people suffer in the hands of savages. And it's my duty as the host to ensure the safety of my guests."

The guardians looked at them, they weren't going to back down. "Alright then, first we sally out the mansion and secure the city. Then we go in the mines and take care of the ringleaders." said Cassidy with a grin.

Lord Cedric was lost in his own thoughts 'How come King Roland learned their numbers? That's strange because no one has managed to escape from the city.' Halinor heard his thoughts. She then noticed Kadma was holding her hands and smiling at her. She was happy because Halinor had talked to a complete stranger after decades.

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**Act 3: Temple of the Nymphs**

Act Guest Starring: Simca, Prince Edmund, Johnathan Ludmoore, Lord Cedric, Frost the Hunter, Kilgrog the Eye Gouger, Necroshade the Terror, Yaulash the Dusk, Ikhomatr the Twilight

Night came as the sun hid behind the mountains of Nevres. Nine brave warriors exited the mansion and advanced with stealth towards the city square. At the center of the city bandits were having a feast, almost a hundred of them. The group took their positions and waited for Cassidy's signal. They needed no words or signs, Halinor kept them in mental contact. Cassidy gave the signal…

Prince Edmund conjured a large sphere of light that exploded right in the middle of them. The brigands were totally taken by surprise, some of them got blind by Edmund's spell. The group charged forward. Ludmoore drew his rapier and slashed the throat of a one-eyed bandit. He then gracefully turned and stabbed another one in the belly. The alchemist took a potion from his belt and threw it into a crowd of bandits, the explosion knocked most of them down. Cedric fired a few magic beams on incoming bandits killing a few of them. He then attacked with his longsword bringing down many outlaws. Simca was a bit unlucky; she had broken her stick on some brigand's head. A rather large bandit saw the opportunity and swinged his axe downwards on the girl. The young knight rolled to the left dodging the axe, quickly got up and put her foot on the axe stucking in the ground. She hit his chest with her elbow while pressing her foot down on the axe disarming her opponent. A punch in the face followed leaving the bandit disoriented. Simca then took a dagger from his belt and finished the bandit. Edmund was in trouble, a brigand was relentlessly pounding on his sheild. He mustered his courage and concetrated on his magic. When the spell was ready he pulled his sheild aside and fired a white beam from the tip of his sword at his foe, opening a hole in his torso. Ludmoore saw two bandits running towards him. He threw a potion at one of them. The bandit screamed while holding his face covered with acid. The other one reached him, Ludmoore didn't have time to raise his rapier… Something collided with his enemy. Ludmoore saw a wolf of pure flame scorching the bandit. After the wolf burned its prey completely, it went to find another victim. The four of them were ordered to protect the flanks. Ludmoore couldn't help looking at the main battle…

The guardians were doing the frontal assault and were wreaking havoc on larger numbers of brigands. They were undoubtly phenomenal. Wolves and eagles of pure flame engulfed many brigands burning them into ashes. It was hopeless for the outlaws; mundane weapons were ineffective against these fire beasts. Halinor had conjured up an invincible army which created a blaze of destruction. The only weakness in this tactic was that she had to keep concentrating with very little disturbance in order to maintain her pets. Bandits who saw this rushed towards the fire guardian. Of course there was a solution for this; Kadma raised the earth and rocks around Halinor and formed a dome. The bandits couldn't get pass the wall of stone. A rain of boulders knocked them out for good. The earth guardian saw that the fire beasts had stopped as their master couldn't give them any direction. Kadma then allowed Halinor to see through her eyes. The hunt resumed…

Nerissa was performing one of her best dances. She was using two energy ribbons. All the garments the bandits wore or the sheilds they wield were useless, the energy ribbons slashed right through them as if they were mere paper. A few archers tried to shot her but she easily deflected them with her ribbons. She danced among dozens of brigands with elegance; they swinged their swords, all of them were evaded with delicate moves only making her performance more impressive, and shining energy ribbons lashed with spectecular light shows. Bodies were piling up in a pool of blood. She then ended her dance of death and saluted the imaginary audience…

Cassidy ran into a narrow alley. A large number of brigands were trailing her. Just as they entered the alley they were washed away by a flood. Cassidy caused the water to flow towards the guardians rear flank, and she was careful not to put out Halinor's pets. She suddenly noticed Simca being caught in the current. As she was about to unsummon the water Simca somehow managed to save herself. Cassidy was impressed by the young knight's skills. She then lifted the huge mass of water into the sky and dropped it on an unfortunate group of bandits. A brigand sneaked behind her and raised his sword. Cassidy broke his neck with a roundhouse kick…

Yan Lin was having little trouble with disposing her share of bandits. None of the sword bearers could reach her and arrows were deflected by her wind barrier. She looked down and found a small group trying to outnumber Edmund. She snapped her fingers; the resulting shockwave knocked them out cold. Instant changes in air pressure were sort of Yan Lin's signiture move as no former air guardian maganed accomplish such a sophisticated spell. Not many knew but Yan Lin had graduated from Heatherfield University Physics department. She was the brains of the guardians. It didn't take her long to find a relation between science and magic. No matter the source, everything in the material realm had to obey the laws of physics (in a greater extend since not everything is known), which enabled her to use of her powers better. Edmund thanked her and continued fighting. Yan Lin flew around and send gusts of wind to slow down the enemy movement. She spotted about twenty bandits trying to escape the battlefield. Multiple shockwaves put them to sleep…

The remaining brigands finally managed to regroup, only to be easier targets. When magic-users were involved tight formations were a grave tactical error, but of course simple bandits couldn't know this. With Kadma's command the earth swallowed them all. All of it ended less than five minutes. Lord Cedric, Ludmoore, Prince Edmund and Simca only had a few scratches. The guardians were great in the battle with no wounds at all; it was like riding a bicycle. Five of them were one mind, one body and one soul… Each of them was thinking the same thing 'Just like the old days…'

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They didn't stop for small talk. Only Nerissa told them that one of the leaders who were supposed to be in the city hadn't participated in the battle and they should expect him in the mines. The nine companions walked to the mines of Nevres. They followed Ludmoore's lead in the tunnels. All the guardians knew their own part; Yan Lin looked into the past of the tunnels to find if there were any traps or ambushes, Kadma made sure the tunnels didn't collapse on them and listened to the earth in order to sense the enemy, Halinor scanned the whole area for mental signals other than them and allowed the group to communicate silently, Cassidy cast a spell that cloaked them from magical detection, and Nerissa used her element to detect any active magic.

They passed a few previously spotted traps but there were no sign of the mercenaries or the fearsome five. This caused them to relax and they started talking quietly, Halinor refused to send mental messages for such purposes. Conversations continued for hours until Ludmoore told them they were close to the gate. After a few minutes they saw the gate opened by the miners. The guardians immediately recognized the architecture of the gate; it was exactly the same of the Fortress of Kandrakar. All five of them had learned the ancient language of Kandrakar. It was clear that it was some sort of temple built to worship the five Nymphs. The whole group was fascinated by the temple as walked in the entrance hall. Cassidy spoke with amazement;

"All this time I travelled countless worlds and saw many wonders. But I never thought I'd see a place this similar to Kandrakar."

Ludmoore turned to her "You say that this is how the Fortress looks like?" Cedric, Edmund and Simca were listening too.

"More or less. The thing is, in the Fortress the Nymphs were never shown as deities."

"Nymphs?"

"Absolute beings that created the infinite universes eons ago. There were five of them; Xin Jing the nymph of the elements, Oneide the nymph of life, Téa the nymph of the sun, Elba the nymph of the moon and N'ghala the nymph of the stars."

The group seached the entrance hall for a few minutes but there were no trace of the second gate. The non-guardian members became further interested in the temple. They asked various questions to the guardians about Kandrakar, the Nymphs and the guardians' themselfs. Ludmoore was especially enthusiastic;

"So you don't exactly know the origin of the Heart of Kandrakar."

Nerissa answered him "The only bit of information we have is the Legend of the four Dragons, which's not reliable at all."

"I like that legend!" said Yan Lin.

"You of all should be most skeptical. But no! You believe in stories I never even heard of!"

"Calm down Nerissa. I said I like the story not believe in it. By the way I figured out both the location of the second gate and the reason why those hirelings are here. You see, the scriptures on the walls have a hidden alphabetic coding. It basically refers to five tablets in the temple complex written by the Nymphs themselves… and that the second gate is right above us."

The others looked at the ceiling and saw the well hidden gate. They certainly wouldn't have noticed it if they didn't know it was there. Nerissa looked at the writings on the walls then at Yan Lin;

"You… decoded all these writings in less than five minutes!?" She wasn't even sure she could read all of them in less than an hour.

"Yes, three minutes forthy one seconds actually."

"And all those years you stayed as a manager of a Chinese restaurant!"

"What's wrong with that?"

"I rest my case…"

Yan Lin flew up to the gate and unlocked it. She slowly levitated the rest of the group and soon they were all in the second floor of the temple. The group walked through maze-like corridors for hours. Finally they found a large hall, with no exit. This time there were no writings anywhere, but still they searched the room. After almost half an hour just as they were about to give up, the ground started to shake violently. Kadma tried to stabilize the hall with her elemental power, but it had very little effect. Walls of white energy raised from the ground seperating the group. And then trapdoors opened beneath them. Each group fell down to meet their own destiny, except for Yan Lin. The trapdoors closed before she could levitate the others. She was all alone in the hall when the energy walls disappeared.

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Simca groaned and got up. She looked at her surroundings; she was in a tunnel which obviously didn't belonge to the temple complex and there were no one around besides herself. The young knight trod lightly to the end of the tunnel. She saw two mercenaries talking with each other, they did not notice her. Simca picked a stone from the ground and threw it. The stone hit the mercenary's hand causing her to drop her sword. The armed one attacked Simca while the other tried to pick her weapon. The knight crouched to dodge her opponent's thrust, she then brought her down with a sweep. Simca grabbed the sword from her hand and slashed the legs of the second mercenary. Then with a turn she broke the chin of the mercenary on the ground with the hilt of the sword. The rest was coup de grace. She proceded to the tunnel ahead. And wandered in the tunnels for hours. Suddenly she heard a noise. A shadow could be seen at the corner of the tunnel. "Is anyone there? OH MY!..."

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A portal-like door opened on one of the walls. Yan Lin jumped back to keep her distance between the door and the huge figure she saw behind it. A heavily muscled warrior riding a ferocious green rhino entered the hall. He looked at his victim and raised his greatsword to the air.

"So you are the next prey of Frost the Hunter little fairy. Ikhomatr warned me about your kind but I hardly see any challenge at all!" He then hit the wall nearby with his sword. The wall shattered with the impact and a depression formed on the wall. Metamoorinan magic created ice blue lightnings around his body. The rhino stomped on the ground which shook the hall and it looked impatient to trample the puny thing its master seeked to destroy. For Yan Lin all these were… unimpressive.

"Then you're in for a surprise muscle head." The air guardian focused hard on her elemental magic, air concentrated at a single point on another wall section. After sufficent amount of condensed air built up the temperature increased at that single point. She then snapped her fingers releasing the force that held it together (all of this happening in one or two seconds). The resulting violent boiler explosion reduced the whole section into rubble. Yet Frost wasn't a person to be intimidated by such acts. All of his preys could do something…

"CHARGE CRIMSON!" The large beast sprinted towards their hunt, crushing every debris on its path. Frost yelled out a battle cry and readied his sword for a swing while closing on the air guardian. A gust of wind blew over the warrior and his mount. It didn't slow them a bit…

Yan Lin's opponent was fast but not agile. She quickly flew to the left and then behind Crimson. Frost had guessed that she would try to out-maneuver him. The shining greatsword blocked Yan Lin's attempt to dismount him. She tried a few more attacks but Frost's defense was near flawless. He was a truly experienced warrior. The air guardian continued to fly in circles around them in close range. She had to dodge a lot of attacks but Frost was getting frustrated. He was bound to make a mistake soon. She decided to taunt him further.

"Crimson? That rhino's green not crimson! Oh you meant his eyes. Sorry my bad. Is it a he or she? Cool trench coat you have there!"

"SHUT UP! And stand still you twerp!!" Anger caused lack of concentration which lowered his magic sheilds. Finally Frost hastily swinged his sword in a large arc leaving him wide open.

"Who're you calling a twerp!" Dozens of explosions blasted Frost and Crimson. The beast collapsed on the ground but Frost was still standing. 'Wow! He's tougher than a rhino!' Yan Lin sent one large shockwave on her opponent's unprotected face. The huge explosion sent Frost into flying. The warrior's large body collided with the wall which he damaged before the fight began. Frost rised from the debris really fast, he held his greatsword with both of his hands and loaded it with magic. A beam made a direct hit at Yan Lin…

"Now what was that?" Yan Lin didn't have time to evade it; still she was surprised that the beam was so weak. To Frost's astonishment she was unaffected by the attack and had hardly moved a centimeter from her position. Guardians had natural resistance to magic and Yan Lin's had improved greatly after countless magic duels. Frost fired a more powerful beam at her. The explosion shook the hall and smoke filled the room. Again it was a direct hit…

"COUGH-COUGH-Cough-cough. Alright I got it! You're trying to suffocate me with the smoke-cough." It was rare that Yan Lin went serious on her opponents. But this was one of those moments. With a wave of her hand she caused an instantaneous difference in the density of air forming a vacuum between two layers of air. Everything on the path of her wave was cut into two. This included numerous debris, a half broken wall and Frost's greatsword. The hunter looked at his half-weapon with disbelief for it could have been him split into half. He knew that she missed him on purpose. Frost had lost the battle in his mind, he couldn't carry on fighting.

"Nighty night." One last shockwave knocked Frost the Hunter unconscious.

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Edmund moved carefully with his sheild raised and sword ready. He had fought one mercenary already and he had several wounds bleeding from that encounter. These new opponents were surely better trained than the brigands. He chanted a spell to improve his vision in the dark. A mercenary was sneaking up on him quiet as a whisper. A beam unleashed from the tip of his sword which was enough to finish his foe. 'I have to thank Kadma when this is over.' The earth guardian had taught him about Basiliadian infravision. He heard foot steps from behind. Edmund quickly turned to face the enemy. "Oh it's you! I thought I'd never find any one of-AAAHHHHH…"

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Kadma found her way in the dark by listening to very earth that these tunnels were formed from. She reached a large cave with an underground river. There stood a dark creature 'This must be the one named Necroshade the Terror' Kadma summoned her element, she was ready for a fight. Necroshade looked like a walking corpse, his flesh was rotting, some bones could be seen and his eye sockets were empty. He was wearing rags and a black hooded cloak on him. He raised his boney hand and pointed towards the earth guardian. The undead spoke with unearthly voice.

"What is your wish guardian? Tell me for only deliver the truth." The voice penetrated her as tough it was the voice of her own conscience. Still she focused on her opponent. She wouldn't fall for his tricks.

"Why should I answer the likes of you. I won't tell-" She was suddenly stopped by the hypnotic voice of Necroshade.

"So you do have a secret don't you? Perhaps it's your wish to save Nevres and its people." Kadma was now confused. She couldn't help answering.

"Y-yes it is our mission!"

"No, that's the mission of the guardians… But what is your mission?" Countless thoughts rushed to her as Necroshade's voice echoed in her mind. She struggled to clear her mind

"I-I don't know what you're speaking of!" But she knew alright 'How could he know about this?'

"You didn't want someone to come here. Someone you care dearly. Someone you wish protect from harm. You wanted stand beside-"

"Shut UP! Wha-what are you doing to me!?" Actually she was shocked, for the undead was telling the truth. Kadma felt a sharp pain in her chest.

"Only revealing the truth. It hurts doesn't it? Yeesss… it should. The truth hurts after all. What if told you that person is dead at the moment?" Kadma fell on to her knees. Her eyes opened wide with disbelief.

"It-it can't be… NOO!! YOU'RE LYING!!! You're lying… lying…. lie……" She couldn't hear her, she couldn't feel her. Maybe he was telling the truth.

"Even the thought of it stabs you in the heart. Poor child… You can't hear her reaching out to you. She will remain silent… forever… It's all because of Kandrakar." Her thoughts became blurry. He was keep adding new things into the subject. Doubt and confusion consumed her.

"They… they have nothing to do with it… Do they?" Kadma couldn't hold her tears anymore.

"Nothing would have happened to her. If she wasn't here… If she wasn't a guardian… If she wasn't chosen by the Oracle… Where is he now? He was supposed to watch over you. Yet I can't hear his voice. He and his council have abondoned you!" Pain struck her again and this time the wounds were real. She started bleeding from many cuts. He was right, it was the truth.

"Why… why… why did they?..." She started to breath harder as if some invisible hand was squeezing her lungs.

"Being a guardian is nothing more than a curse. They are just using you for their own selfish purposes. But you can still save yourself. Give up the powers of earth! Return to your world and live there happily." The pain became unbearable. Kadma was lying on the floor now bleeding to death.

"Guardian?… Cu-curse?" She could hardly speak, tears were like a river on her face.

"Yeesss… Think about it. Your friend would be alive now if she wasn't a guardian. You could have been together for the rest of your life! Relinquish your powers!" One mistake… One word she told her before… Her thoughts were clear now. He was lying. There were no doubts anymore. She stood up and slowly turned towards him.

"... No… I won't give up my powers. Now I know you're far from the truth. If we weren't the guardians many would have suffered in the hands of your kind! It may be a curse to me but it's a gift for countless other people! And… if she wasn't a guardian… I WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO MEET HER AT ALL!"

Kadma with all her fury raised a stalagmite from the ground and impaled the dark creature. She manipulated the stalagmite and slammed him into the river. The guardian of earth cast a spell to heal her wounds. The undead tried to free himself from the spear of rock but it was no use…

Kadma wiped her tears, then opened a crack on the ceiling. Necroshade the Terror got buried under tons of rocks.

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Ludmoore cleaned the blood from his rapier. Three bodies were lying on the floor, two had multiple cuts on them and one had vomit all over his face. The alchemist's poison was deadly. He had run out of potions as he had killed a total of eleven mercenaries. And he used his last salve on a deep wound on his arm. He continued on with hopes of finding the others. It become more silent with each step he took in the tunnel. Ludmoore saw a figure before him "Finally! You're alright aren't you? Wait… What're you DOIINNNGGGG…"

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Halinor didn't bother using her telepathy to reach the others. She was still close to the temple which somehow nullified her ability. She summoned Cheepee which was company and a source of light. As she entered a new cave she heard a sound. It was like someone was eating something. She sent Cheepee to the source of the sound. The bird of flame flew towards it and revealed the loathsome creature. It was feasting on some sort of sub-terranian animal and it was about to finish its meal. The grotesque creature hardly had a humanoid shape yet it resembled an ogre as it stood three meters tall and seemed to be at least half a ton in weight. It wore nothing at all. At the end of its meal it carefully put its hands on both eyes of its prey and carefully gouged them out. It swallowed both eyes; then suddenly two new eyes formed on it. It had eyes all over its body. All of them were closed… for now.

The creature noticed Cheepee and opened three of its eyes extinguishing it. Then it saw Halinor "Master say fairy enemy. KILGROG KILL FAIRY!" It seemed to be only semi-intelligent.

Halinor conjured a fire bear thrice the original size. The bear roared and ran towards the ogre. Kilgrog the Eye Gouger opened all of its eyes… Rays came out of thousands of eyes in all directions and hit the flame beast. The bear roared as it dissolved in to Oblivion. The real reason of the fire beast's disappearence was Halinor herself. The rays had struck her too. Her magic resistance had saved her from complete paralysation but still moving her body became very difficult. She couldn't think straight either which broke her concentration that maintained the beast.

Kilgrog jumped into the air and landed punch on the ground. The fire guardian barely dodged it. Fortunately the ogre was a bit clumsy when it came to melee combat as Halinor managed to evade its blows despite her now slow reflexes. Although it was obivious that she would become mashed potato once it managed to hit her. She then realized that Kilgrog's eyes were open all time and she was keep staring at them. Halinor hoped her gamble would work and closed her eyes…

Her muscles finally relaxed and her nervous system returned to normal but now she had to fight blindly. Again fortunately Kilgrog was very noisy. She threw a few fire balls at the ogre. Kilgrog didn't screamed much and neither had it slowed down. After a few minutes it finally hit Halinor. She quickly formed a flame sheild in front of her and raised her fists to block the attack. Kilgrog's fist burned as it pierced the sheild and Halinor's puny defense didn't help much. The blow sent her into flying and smashed her on the cave wall. She heard Kilgrog roaring with triumph. She knew her ribs were broken and the beast would devour her before she could be healed by the gift of regeneration.

Halinor thought about her whole life as it was coming to an end. All the wrong things she had done lately. Isolating herself from everyone after they disbanded. She had no right to make her sad. Halinor didn't want to embrace death alone. It would happen eventually but she would rather die among her friends not in some desolate place… not without seeing her one last time. The fire guardian could not give up now! Long ago she even managed to scan the Oracle's mind; some mysterious power or a mere beast's willpower couldn't stop her! Halinor forced her telepathy on Kilgrog. The ogre halted and held his head while roaring in pain. The fire guardian unleashed her legendary mental powers on the beast. She breached the temple's power and began a mental war with Kilgrog which lasted only a few seconds.

Her eyes opened and saw herself from thousands of eyes. She summoned her element and conjured Cheepee. The fire bird one by one scorhed the ogre's eyes. Halinor continued this until she couldn't see again. She then opened her own eyes and looked at the beast struggling in pain on the ground. A lion of flame feasted upon Kilgrog the Eye Gouger's ashes.

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Cedric sent one last beam and dispatched his last opponent. He collapsed on the ground 'That makes six.' His injuries were serious. Lord of Nevres used his magic on his wounds but they wouldn't close up. Escanorian magic had little effect on the cuts opened up by enchanted swords. His family tree went up to the house Escanor, being half-breed didn't change his status as a noble. And as a relation of this great house Lord Cedric couldn't give up. He gathered all his remaining strength to get up; he then walked through the long tunnel with difficulty because he was limping. He could hardly feel his left leg; he wished the alchemist was with him now. Cedric saw someone at the end of the tunnel "Thank the gods! I do not wish to be a burden but could you help me, please? What!? NNOOOOO…"

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Cassidy and Nerissa walked over the bodies of the mercenaries. There were five of them and they caused little trouble. They were still somewhere in the temple complex's inner sanctum. Soon they entered a huge chamber, in front of them was an altar and behind it a large tablet. Near the altar there were a man and a woman dressed like the mercenaries. They both had strong auras. The man was tall, well built and bald except for a pony tail. He was wearing red splint armour and was wielding a spear. The woman on the other hand had a small stature and feline features that all Basiliadian females possessed with short cut hair. She was equipped with crimson scale armour and a katana in its metal scabbard. Both couples examined each other for minutes. Cassidy spoke first.

"You must be Yaulash and Ikhomatr. I'm aware that a fight is inevadible. But before we begin why have you done all this?"

Nerissa couldn't help interrupting "Um… Cassidy, these are not comic book villians that share their evil plans with the heroes, you know."

The man spoke in spite of her comment "I am Ikhomatr from the order of Twilight and she is my student Yaulash from the order of Dusk. We are honoured to face such worthy foes. And especially you, grandmaster Cassidy. The only thing we wish from you is; should we ever face defeat please show us no mercy. And as your friend stated we do not wish to reveal our master's intentions. So brace yourselves!"

Both Nerissa and Cassidy knew they were facing honourable opponents. They silently agreed (something gained from years of teamwork) not to use magic against them. Cassidy came up with a quick temporal strategy "You take Yaulash. It's more advantageous that way!"

Ikhomatr sprinted towards Cassidy. He showed the end of his spear and faked a thrust. Cassidy saw right through it; she crouched to avoid the swing then rolled on the floor thus evading the real thrust from the tip of the spear. It was time to counter attack. Ikhomatr barely managed to block Cassidy's butterfly kick which was followed by a reverse side kick. Despite the power of her blow his armour absorbed most of the impact. He made a weak thust with one hand, which was easily dodged, and completed his attack with a punch, which was blocked. Cassidy crushed her opponent's right shoulder with an axe kick she then tumbled backwards to avoid grapling. Ikhomatr this time made a powerful two handed thrust. The water guardian awaited this; she stepped aside, grabbed the spear with one hand and broke it with a chop. Ikhomatr lost his balance when Cassidy's high kick hit his face and fell down after a low roundhouse kick. Cassidy didn't want to kill him but death was his wish in defeat. She landed one last punch to finish him.

Nerissa had little knowledge in martial arts and swordsmanship. Yet she was an experienced rhythmic gymnast which was more than enough to evade Yaulash's katana. The only problem was Nerissa's inability to take on the offensive without her energy ribbons. She dared not strike unarmed because not only her opponent used her katana skillfully, but also her armour would absorb any successful attack. Nerissa wasn't as strong as Cassidy. Yaulash kept chasing her for a few minutes until Nerissa decided to use one of her best talents against her opponent, her balance. The keeper jumped and held on to one of the roof supports and climbed up until she reached a certain height. 'It's just like a balace beam. I may not specialize in this type of gymnastics but it'll do just fine.' Yaulash followed her up to the beam, although she seemed to have trouble with keeping her balace. The fight continued at fourthy meters high from the ground. Yaulash's attacks became less bold and precise. A few minutes later Nerissa saw an opening in her defense. She quickly got in close with a front handspring. She was glad that she hadn't lost her touch after all those years. A little push was enough to make Yaulash fall all the way down.

Soon both of them were standing near the altar. The guardians were wondering why two honourable Basiliadian warriors would ever take a mission like temple raiding. It was now confirmed that there was someone who hired the five of them. One of the tablets they had sought was behind the altar. Nerissa examined the tablet while Cassidy layed down the bodies properly and cleaned the blood on them. Nerissa noticed that just like the wall writings the scriptures on the tablet were written in the language of Kandrakar. It was pretty large for a tablet as it was almost twice her height. She started reading it carefully.

Half an hour had passed before the water guardian could finish a minor ceremony for the deceased. She suddenly noticed a purple light coming from behind her. She then heard Nerissa shouting "Th-this is impossible!"

When Cassidy turned to the altar only to see that the tablet was gone and Nerissa was staring blankly at her. The keeper of the Heart looked as if she was possessed by someone but the water guardian couldn't sense any external intervention and there were no residual energy of a portal or teleportation. 'Where the hell did that huge thing disappeared to and what's wrong with her?'

"What happened? Where's the tablet?"

The keeper snapped out of it and took a deep breath. Yet she was stammering "N-no, n-nothing… I-I don't kn-know… No m-matter what h-happened we ne-need to go to K-kandrakar after w-we sort things out in-n here. Y-yes… we must g-go to the Fort-ress."

"Are you sure you're alright?"

"Y-yes I'm f-fine. Just sh-shaken by t-the battle that's all. Sh-shall we go now?" Cassidy certainly didn't like what was going on but she wasn't quite sure how to act. So she decided to stick with her for now.

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A figure entered the chamber after the guardians left. It stood before the bodies of Ikhomatr and Yaulash. The creature summoned powerful magic and with it two spirits emerged from the bodies. They looked around them and recognized their master. Both of them kneeled before it. Ikhomatr's spirit spoke.

"We have failed you master. The guardians defeated us and took the tablet of Xin Jing. But we managed to secure the other four tablets and placed them in the portal as you ordered. We… We are ready for our penalty."

The being examined them for a while, then _"On the contrary great warrior, your success was beyond my expectations. Therefore you and your men will be rewarded for your valiant efforts."_

The movement of the entity's hand tore the roof of the temple and opened a passage to the surface. A bright white light appeared in the sky and shined down on the spirits. Soon they ascended to another realm. The entity slowly exited the Chamber of Elements.

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Several hours had passed since Yan Lin defeated Frost. She searched everywhere but couldn't find any of her friends or their Metamoorian companions. Behind the portal-like door, which Frost used to enter the hall, was a passage to the inner sanctum of the temple. She discovered four huge chambers, each had four altars. Yan Lin knew that these chambers should have been where the tablets were kept, but they were empty. 'The brigand leaders must have found them before we even arrived here.' Some of the gates were opened by brute force probably after long hours of frustration trying to solve the riddles of the gates. The air guardian was standing near a tunnel entrance, she sighed loudly. She then heard a sound behind her and reflexively sent a gust of wind in that direction.

"Is anyone there? OH MY!..." Simca was blown to the end of the tunnel.

"Sorry!..."

A few hours after that unfortunate event all nine of them finally gathered at the first main hall of the temple. Halinor, Edmund and Cedric's wounds were severe but they were tended by Kadma. Nerissa was sitting near the gate and silently waiting for the guardians to finish their business with the others. Yan Lin, Simca and Edmund were having a nice conversation; the young knight and prince surely had an adventure of a life time and they wanted to share all of it. Cassidy on the other hand was talking with Ludmoore and Cedric about more serious matters.

Ludmoore was trying to find an explantion to the tablets disappearence "So the tablet wasn't there anymore. Are you sure it was there to begin with? I mean it might have been that the keeper realized it was an illusion and said the word 'impossible'… Okay that didn't sound right at all." He was starting to give up. The alchemist had moderate knowledge in magic; science was his stronger point and there wasn't enough evidence for a scientific explanation.

Cassidy was more worried about Nerissa "And she's been acting strange ever since. She's insisting on going to Kandrakar. We'd actually escorted all four of you to Meridian but… I'm sorry that we can't come with you to the palace." This little adventure proved to be more complicated than she wished.

Cedric sensed that she was overwhelmed by her troubles. He comforted her "No need for apologies. Your first priority is your friend not us. I hope you can find a solution to her problem in the Fortress. I'll give the Light of Meridian your best regards." The leader of the guardians was a bit relieved by his kind words.

Before they seperated the group members talked to each other one last time. Cassidy promised the young knight to return back and continue training her. Simca truly was a unique talent that every master would want as a disciple. Ludmoore asked if he could come to the Fortress with them; he wanted to study the Kadrakarian language and lore in order to explore the secrets of the Temple of Nymphs. But his requisition was refused by the guardians, because mortals unless summoned by the Oracle were forbidden to enter the Fortress. Although Yan Lin thought he would have enough time in the future to study there as she was pretty sure that Ludmoore would one day represent Metamoore in the council of Kandrakar. Edmund and Cedric wanted them to join the celebrations at Meridian as soon as they were availiable, and they accepted it. The guardians said their farewells to Prince Edmund, Simca, Lord Cedric and Johnathan Ludmoore. Kadma then used transposition to send them (with an unconscious rhino and Frost) to the mansion in Nevres.

The guardians were now alone in the temple. Before they could say anything to each other the Heart of Kandrakar appeared in the palm of Nerissa. Bright purple light spread throught out the hall. The Oracle was calling them.

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**To be continued…**


	5. The Hidden Truth part2

This is the second part of chapter four 'The Hidden Truth'. Since it is long I broke the chapter into **Act**s and to increase the effect of the finale, I carried the chapter end notes over here. Enjoy everyone!

Note1: I know I wasn't on time for this chapter but it was a bit long. Anyway the next chapter is "Light of Meridian No More". I'll update as soon as I can, but it may take quite some time.

Note2: If there are things you don't understand about the plot, look back at the previous chapters. I'm telling again, every detail counts. And don't forget that the whole story is really long, so more questions and answers will be revealed later on.

Note3: I know there are a lot of grammer and spelling mistakes, but I will polish the chapters over time. There is pathetic excuse for a poem in this chapter (don't read it in advance it contains spoilers). It's my first attempt so do not laugh. And also there might be some rubber science too.

Note4: Please review, please! I need to know what you think about it. Flames are not accepted.

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own W.i.t.c.h. comics or tv series along with all the characters related.**

Chapter Guest Starring: Cassidy, Nerissa, Halinor, Kadma, Yan Lin

**Act 4: Battle of the Elements**

Act Guest Starring: Oracle, Tibor, Endarno, Luba, Orube

The Fortress of Kandrakar was busy that day. The council of elders were preparing for a ceremony. Orube was watching the whole preperation behind the backdoor of the Hall of Congregation. The young girl wished that Cassidy would be coming though she noticed that the event wasn't for the water guardian. The guardian in training just hoped her sister would be there. She felt someone behind her 'I'm busted, again!'

"What is your excuse this time Orube? I don't recall seeing Cassidy in the Fortress, at least not yet."

"Well… Just curious about the whole thing going around Kandrakar. Are we celebrating something?"

"If you want to learn I won't be the one holding you back. These are all for the keeper of the Heart. She soon will be joining the council of elders. The Oracle should be summoning her here anytime now."

"Are the others coming too?" She was practically begging at her master.

"I guess so. It is their right after all. But they will attend to her funeral on Earth first. Therefore it might take some-" Orube jumped with joy then ran to the Hall of Tempests. She wanted to finish her daily training before Cassidy arrived. "…time."

Luba smiled as her young disciple got out of sight. Orube's training with her was almost complete. She would continue her training with Cassidy once she filled Nerissa's place as the keeper. Orube was Luba's project of creating the perfect guardian. She was raised as a warrior, her sole purpose was to protect the infinite universes from harm, and she was destined to become a permanent guardian just like Cassidy. 'You will be able to spend an eternity with your sister young one. Just a bit more patience.'

Luba returned to the Hall Aurameres. Four humongous coloured globes were revolving in a circular pattern in mid-air. Soon there would be only three and she hoped after some time there would be no aurameres left at all. She wouldn't be the keeper of the aurameres anymore but Luba preffered to train the young as warriors instead of watching over energy balls. The size of the aurameres reflected the strength of the guardians; finding new guardians to replace the old ones was going to be a real challenge. Luba doubt that anyone could surpass the current guardians, except for her Orube of course. Nevertheless, as an elder of Kandrakar she couldn't be more proud of them 'Why couldn't all five of them become permanent guardians?'

Endarno looked down at the main body of the Fortress from the Tower of Mists. His task was watching over prisoners in rehabilitation who had commited great crimes in the past that endangered whole worlds. For the last twenty years he protected empty cells. There had always been some guests in the Tower, never before it was empty in all its history. Well except when it was first built of course. The legendary guardians sure made his job boring by destroying every single major evil in the infinite universes. Yet he had no complaints, his boredom was a little sacrifice if it was to obtain the greater good.

'I should get to the Hall of Congregation to greet Nerissa. Nothing to do here anyway.' He conjured up the armband key and opened the main gate. The White Heralds saluted Endarno as he walked towards the edge of the platform. He used the key once again to summon a ribbon of silk which was the passageway to the main body of the Fortress. The keeper of the key was curious about the rumors he heard from some of the elders. It was whispered that a new guardian was going to be appointed by the Oracle during the ceremony. The former keeper giving the Heart to the new one…

Such a moment hadn't been witnessed in Kandrakar for so long. The keepers usually died during action and the former group of guardians was killed altogether by Agomoxian also known as the Dark One. The god-like entity terrorized the universes for decades. For the first time the council and the Oracle were forced to appoint five guardians at the same time for the evil had to be stopped immediately. And choosing them from Earth, a world not aware of Kandrakar's presence, was a first too. No guardian before had to live a double-life and they had no knowlegde about magic. The council thought they would fail. How wrong they were…

The new guardians fought Agomoxian's armies and close cohorts; Ember, Tridart, Khor and Shogon for years. One by one they libarated the worlds conquered by the Dark One. It was then the dark entity decided to lay siege on the Fortress of Kandrakar. He wanted to get rid of the source of his problems, the only thing that stood between him and complete domination was the Fortress and its guardians. Darkness descended upon the center of infinity and a foul tempest raveged the infinite worlds. The moment of truth had arrived…

The guardians confronted the vitually limitless armies of darkness. The shadowy monsters fell by the thousands. But there were no end to them and the creatures slowly advanced towards the Fortress. All the elders and even the Oracle himself joined the battle. When all hope seemed to be lost the guardians regrouped and attacked the legions one last time… The enemy forces retreated by immense efforts of the guardians. Just as the armies were about to melt away he came. Agomoxian descended on the battleground… The remainder of his forces rallied again and assaulted the Fortress. While guardians were trying to hold off the creatures of darkness, the Dark One killed most of the elders and even injured the Oracle. It was then a historic event took place. An event that was remembered by every world that fell into darkness. It became a story, a legend, and a symbol of hope for people across the infinite worlds.

Cassidy the water guardian faced the Dark Titan. Both clashed in the skies of Kandrakar. They fought for like an eternity; the Fortress trembled before the incredable magic energy unleashed. Cassidy was using not only her element but also an unknown power. After hours the cataclysmic battle came to an end. Cassidy stood victorious… The legions of darkness diappeared as their dark lord dissolved into Oblivion. With the defeat of Agomoxian, evil in the infinite universes ceased to exist. And this was how the guardians became legends, how Cassidy became the name of a star, how countless worlds swore alliance and accepted the observation of the Fortress. This was how the golden age of peace began…

Tibor slowly walked into the meditation chambers. The Oracle was observing Earth, he looked confused about something. Tibor spoke to him.

"Is something troubling you, Oracle?" It had been a long time since he saw the Oracle concerned.

Oracle showed him the vision "Yes Tibor… This is a hospital in Heatherfield and as you can see Nerissa has just passed away."

"Wasn't it planned this way?" Tibor couldn't see anything wrong with it. This decision was taken with the keeper's approval.

"No… You see, the one on the bed is a magical copy of hers. As for the others, they have left copies too. And they are no where to be found including Cassidy!"

Tibor now shared his worries too "Have you tried to reach out to them through the Heart of Kandrakar?"

"Yes I did that just a few moments ago. I only hope they'll answer my call."

At the same time when the Oracle finished his words a bright blue light filled the chamber. The guardians appeared in the middle of the room. All except Nerissa…

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Nerissa was walking towards the Chamber of Spirits; place where copies of magical items were kept. White Heralds and elders ignored her because she was invisible. When she reached the chamber she swiftly opened its doors and entered the room. 'I need make sure if it's true or not… If it is true, then may the Nypmhs protect us!' The guardian looked at the copy of the Heart. She slowly walked towards it and summoned the original. She then held the pendant close to its copy. Nothing happened…

The keeper couldn't believe it. 'It can't be! It's exactly as it is written in the scriptures.' Many thoughts rushed into her mind yet she couldn't find a solution for the matter at hand. She couldn't ask others help; the knowledge itself alone would destroy them. She should be the only one in danger. Nerissa didn't want anyone else involved in this. She looked in front of her.

"Who are you?" A purple lightning came out before her and struck Nerissa. Yet she was still standing.

"It seems your little scheme didn't work since you're resorting to violence. I guess you didn't foresee me reading the tablet after all!" Colourful visions appeared in front of her and started swirling around.

Nerissa was dazed for a moment but she snapped out of it quickly "Oh no, you won't hypnotise me that easily! And now I know what to do to you!" She unsummoned the Heart and exited the chamber.

This time she didn't bother becoming invisible. A few elders who saw her told her that the entire Fortress and her friends were looking for her everywhere. Nerissa turned towards them; her eyes glowed in purple. She proceeded down the hall, the elders were paralysed. Her destination was the top of the Fortress. There she would confront her greatest enemy one last time. She had to succeed or the infinite universes would face an evil that was never witnessed. Nerissa knew this by heart and this was why she was greatly concerned. The others would surely try to stop her but she couldn't allow this to happen!

In front of her was the Hall of Congregation and Nerissa had to enter it in order to reach her destination. She heard many elders talking loudly inside, she felt the presence of her friends, and she sensed that the Oracle was trying to scry her location which was impossible considering her current state. She noticed a shadow near the gate. Orube was hiding behind pillar looking at her. Nerissa never met the girl before but she recognized her from Cassidy's descriptions.

She smiled at the young warrior "Cassidy told me a lot about you Orube. It's nice to finally meet you but I have to cut this short. I'm sure you'll be a fine guardian after I… retire. Now listen to me carefully. Do not enter the hall after me. You need not witness what will go on in there. For your own sake, go away now!"

Orube didn't know why but she was afraid that something was going to happen. She went back to the corridor and found another hiding spot. She waited there until Nerissa entered the hall.

In the Hall of Congregation elders were trying to speculate the whereabouts of Nerissa and her motive in attacking the elders sent to find her. The Oracle couldn't locate her and she wasn't answering Halinor's telepathic messages. Endarno was waiting at the ready if the White Heralds were needed. Luba had went to fetch Orube but one had heard of her ever since. Cassidy was adding up things together. Nerissa had been acting strange after the tablet disappeared. She decided that it had to do something with it. Suddenly Yan Lin warned everyone that she heard a noise outside the hall. A purple light came behind the main entrance of the hall. Everyone turned their heads there as the gate was blasted into bits. Nerissa entered the hall…

She ignored everyone and continued towards the back of the hall. The guardians stood in her way. Nerissa looked at them blankly and unleashed a ring of energy from her that knocked down everyone in the hall. But before she could walk away magical shackles formed on her hands and feet. Turned to the source of the spell; the Oracle was holding his palm towards her. Nerissa spoke calmly with really creepy voice.

"Release me now. Or suffer the consequences." That seemed to intimidate the Oracle as he took a few steps back but he didn't undo the spell.

"You have broken the millennia old laws of the Fortress, Nerissa. But I'm ready to forgive what you've done so far if you return the Heart to me and stand for trial. Now give the Heart to me and let's discuss this rationally."

She looked at the Oracle. He sensed good intentions in her which was a relief. Nerissa's smile turned into smirk "Sorry baldy I have other plans!" She dispelled the shackles and fired a huge beam of energy at him.

'She must have decieved my senses!' This was the last thought that passed through the Oracle's mind before he took a direct hit. He hadn't raised any protective barriers because he trusted his senses instead of the facts before him. She had no intention to give up the Heart. And he had no time to summon a barrier…

The purple energy covered his entire body which shook him violently and sent him into flying. The Oracle slammed into the wall breaking a hole through it; he ended up in the middle of the meditation chambers right next to the Hall of Congregation. Endarno rushed to his aid. The thing the guardian of the Tower saw terrified him. The Oracle's body was entirely scorched and he bleeding heavily. Sparkles of purple energy could still be seen on him. 'She shouldn't have caused such massive damage even if he hadn't raised any sheilds! Since when did Nerissa become so powerful?' Endarno and a few other elders who joined him used their Kandrakarian magic to heal the Oracle's wounds. The process was very slow, the wound wouldn't just heal! But they to kept on trying otherwise he would die. The guardians could deal with the traitor.

And they did. 'STOP NOW NERISSA!'

The mental assault brought Nerissa on to her knees. The fire guardian tried to read her thoughts to find the reason of all this madness but she couldn't get pass her mental barriers. Her telepahty had certain degree of mind control but that also was effectively resisted by Nerissa. Although telepathy had other capabilities too. The fire guardian used her mental power to physically hurt Nerissa. Only Halinor could accomplish such a feat.

'GIVE UP THE HEART NOW!!' But she didn't yield.

Halinor wasn't a person that gave up easily, determination was a characterisic that all fire guardians possessed. The mental torment continued for a long time. Nerissa struggled hard not to lose the battle. She was rolling on the ground, holding her head and screaming in pain. Her hands were shaking, her eyes became blooded and nose started to bleed after some time. No one could get close to her because she was radiating lethal energy waves. After half an hour Nerissa concluded that she would lose sooner or later. She had no choice but to share the dangereous knowledge with the fire guardian. She spoke to Halinor mentally.

'OKAY! You win… I'll give the Heart but under one condition. You will read my mind and see the reasons for my actions!'

Halinor thought about it for a while and accepted her offer. There didn't seem to be any disadvanteges in this deal. She laid off her mental powers, Nerissa collapsed on the floor. It took some time for the elders to suffiencently heal the Oracle for him to get up. He needed the support of Endarno to walk to Nerissa, he was still heavily injured. She looked at him with despise; she summoned the Heart and gave it to him. As soon as the Heart left its owner Nerissa transformed back to her normal appearance, her powers were taken away. No one said a single word. Endarno summoned two White Heralds; the three of them took Nerissa to the Tower of Mists where she would stay until her trial.

The Oracle sat down after Nerissa left the hall. The guardians were devestated by the whole incident. Yan Lin and Kadma were trying to find an explanation for her actions but there was nothing solid. She had almost killed the Oracle. Cassidy on the other hand was now completely sure that the scriptures on the tablet had something to do with this. Halinor was silent as always, but this time it was a disturbing silence. The Oracle finally stood up and spoke to Cassidy.

"Cassidy I wish that you look after the Heart of Kandrakar until we sort out this mess. Will you accept it?"

Cassidy came forth and kneeled as she took the Heart from the Oracle "I shall protect it Oracle…" She stood up and used the Heart's power to heal the Oracle's wounds. Then everybody left the Hall and went to their chambers. Since she was permanent guardian Cassidy had a room that belonged to her in the Fortress. All four of the guardians sat quietly in the room lost in their thoughts. An hour later they fell a sleep. After three weeks of travelling, lots of fighting, and the recent events they needed it psychologically.

Suddenly Cassidy woke up. She looked around, the room was empty. 'Where did they all go?' The water guardian got out of her chamber, the Fortress was silent… too silent. She wandered the now deserted fortress as tried convince herself that nothing bad had happened. 'Calm down Cassidy… Everything's gonna be fine, they're just somewhere in the Fortress…'She searched everywhere for hours to find someone but all was in vain. It felt like constantly running in circles and not being able to escape from it. Cassidy was slowly loosing it. 'Where are they? What happened to them?' She ran as fast as she could in the corridors as if it would bring everyone back. She ran and ran but the corridor didn't seem to have an end. She finally fell on the floor, exhausted. Then she saw a dark figure approaching her…

"_The burden of the Heart is too much for you Cassidy. There was a reason why Nerissa was chosen as its keeper. When all falls in to darkness the keeper of the Heart stands alone against evil. And you can't bear loneliness…_"

Cassidy didn't want to believe her… but this time she lacked the courage. She had always been the bravest of the guardians yet she was alone this time. Even when she travelled to far worlds and battled alone, she always felt her friends' support even the one's who exist in after-life. Now she couldn't feel them at all.

"_That's right. You can't feel them. This is what happens when all sinks into Oblivion. You are alone. But I can help you bring them back! Just give me the Heart so that I can use it to its full potential. You have nothing to lose Cassidy…_"

The darkness… the silence… the loneliness… She couldn't take it anymore. Cassidy summoned the Heart of Kandrakar and gave it to the person before her. The figure kneeled and kissed her on the forehead. With that Cassidy fell asleep again and this time she slept peacefully.

The fire guardian looked inside the room, all three guardians were asleep. She touched their minds and gave them visions of good dreams. She hated the thing she had done, but after the things she had learned… it was a small price. All water guardians had an almost impenetrable mental resistance… almost. Dreams opened a gateway to one's mind. Halinor left the room with the Heart in her hand.

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White Heralds moved from their usual posts to the main gate of the Tower of Mists. It was a known fact that no one had ever escaped the prison of Kandrakar… from the inside. An intruder was approaching the gates none other than the fire guardian herself. She was flying towards the Tower on a huge bird of flame, didn't have the key after all. She landed on the platform before the main gate and unsummoned the fire beast. There were thirty nine White Heralds confronted her. These were the warriors of Kandrakar, created after Endarno suggested that the Fortress needed a standing armed force after Agomoxian's siege. White Heralds were liveless golems; they were, in theory, the best soldiers in the infinite worlds. They were all immune to mental assaults but telepathy was only an alternative for the fire guardian. Balls of flame formed within their armour and exploded. The implosions reduced the mighty warriors into scrap metal. Halinor had destroyed thirty nine White Heralds with a single thought…

The gate melted under the intense heat of Halinor's flame elephant. The beast disappeared as walked pass the entrance and proceeded up the stairs. She disposed of four more White Heralds; she then reached the top floor. Endarno was waiting for her. He was in his Basiliadian armour instead of his usual elder robes and he was wielding a scimitar. He had guessed this would have happen; after all she spent a long time in Nerissa's mind. And he was prepared, wards against fire were carved all over the room, he had raised protective barriers around him specifically to counter flames, and he studied her combat strategy. Unlike the former fire guardians Halinor used fire beasts rather than the classic fireball-heat ray combination. Endarno planned to ignore her minions and attack her directly. He readied his enchanted scimitar and sprinted towards the fire guardian. Halinor saw the fatal flaw in his preparations…

She simply read his mind to learn his next move; she dodged the spinning slash of the scimitar and all the following skillful attacks from him. But Endarno was an experienced warrior, he immediately started to attack in random fashion instead of calculated blows. His change of tactics was successful as he managed to place a few cuts on her arms and some of his beams made direct hits but they were a bit ineffective because of her magic resistance. Halinor couldn't use her elemental powers but that also was an alternative. Endarno's error was that he had no protection against her telepathy. The fire guardian entered into the depths of his mind and wreaked havoc on his consciousness. Endarno used all his willpower to fight her but it was futile. Halinor's mental might wasn't renowned as legendary for nothing. Endarno fell on the floor unconscious.

Halinor destroyed all the wards with the Heart of Kandrakar. Her injuries healed quickly, the gift of regenaration was more effective ever since she got the Heart. She then heard footsteps coming from the stairs. It was expected that someone would notice all the commotion and came over here. The uninvited guest would receive a warm welcome, nothing contained Halinor's element now. Cassidy entered the room. She couldn't believe her eyes; first Nerissa and now Halinor. The water guardian saw Endarno lying on the floor, she was relieved for his condition didn't seem critical. 'What was happening to us?' Cassidy didn't want to hurt Halinor but she had to stop her friend for her own good. Friend or no she was going the fight her if necessary.

"Halinor please put an end to whatever you're doing and come with me. Please don't do something you'll regret later on. Turn back while you still have a chance!"

Halinor's face was emotionless. She looked at Cassidy in the eyes "Cassidy I do not wish to hurt you, so go back to the Fortress and wait there until we finish our job."

Cassidy was determined "No! I won't let you do something stupid! Tell me what you're trying to do, that way perhaps we both can find a solution."

Halinor was certainly not going to cooperate "Sorry, I can't tell you… But if you're going to stop me, I'll retaliate. So suit yourself." The water guardian didn't attack but she didn't moved back either. Halinor decided to take the initiative. She wanted to make see her point. She conjured an apple sized fireball in her palm and threw it at the water guardian.

'What the hell she think she's doing!?' Cassidy raised a sheild of water in front of her to extinguish the small fireball. To the guardian's surprise her shield evaporated before the fireball even came close! She instantly conjured a large wall of water. The small fireball hit the wall of water. Cassidy thought the hot steam was going to scorch her, she relentlessly supplied water to her barrier but she couldn't put out that tiny ball of flame. The ball finally extinguished after twenty seconds. She had conjured up a large amount of water enough to cool down an active volcano!

Halinor knew that she understood her point, she couldn't read her mind but the water guardian's facial expression was proof enough. Cassidy now saw that the fire guardian's power was far superior to hers. 'How did she?' Yet she couldn't give up; the water guardian unleashed a column of water from the nearby fountain. The water was vaporized by a tiger of flame before it reached Halinor. Cassidy this time tapped into her full power and conjured water. The huge flood carried Halinor to the end of the room slamming her into the wall. The fire guardian instantly vaporized the whole water. She was starting to get serious…

Halinor concentrated hard on her element, a colossal pillar of fire formed behind her. Flames started to take shape, the pillar grew wider and thinner. Its sides took the shape of wings fifthy meters wide, its upper part became the head of a bird which was the size of a car, and finally its torso and claws formed. Now behind Halinor the fire guardian stood a giant phoenix. The huge bird of flame was perfect in every detail. Cassidy couldn't comprehand the amazing fire manipulation that Halinor just did. In the old times such a large fire beast would be impressive in structure to terrorize enemies but hallow inside as having the same power with smaller fire constructs. Yet after seeing the intensity of that small fireball, Cassidy was pretty sure that the phoenix's power was proportional to its size. The windows exploded with the screech of the huge fire beast. Cassidy was stunned by Halinor's display of power.

Cassidy could hardly breathe at all. The temperature in the room had increased greatly and it was still increasing! She sweated for only a moment because it vaporized so quickly. The water guardian was runing out fluid as she was being dehydrated. She slipped and fell on the ground; even the floor and walls were slowly melting. She tried to summon water in her hand but it evaporated immediately. She couldn't think straight and was seeing mirages everywhere. Cassidy focused on Halinor with all her remaining strength; she saw that the fire guardian was standing motionless, her eyes were closed, and there were no protective barriers. She was actually quite defenceless. 'She must have to meditate to keep the phoenix going on!' The water guardian summoned her element for one last massive attack. The incredibly large column of water flew towards Halinor. 'Yes!!-!?!' Cassidy's last hope went down as the phoenix covered Halinor with its wings thus sheilding her from the attack. The fire bird then opened its beak and breathed fire. Flames engulfed Cassidy…

Halinor unsummoned the phoenix and walked over Cassidy's completely burnt body towards the cell that kept Nerissa imprisoned.

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Nerissa was lying down on a rock floating in void. Her energy was being drained by white ribbons tied to her arms and legs. None of them bothered her, it would take centuries to drain her power completely. Her powers were off the chart ever since she read the scriptures of the tablet of Xin Jing. She wasn't powerless at all; Nerissa didn't need her auramere to supply her anymore. She had transformed to her human appearance only to fool the elders and the Oracle. None of them should know that she had absorbed the tablet. The knowledge contained within it was far too dangerous for anyone to learn. Yet now Halinor knew it too. She didn't want the fire guardian to get involved in this but Nerissa needed her in order to retrieve the Heart from Cassidy. Nerissa needed the crystal to perform the ritual.

She heard two people fighting outside her cell. 'Probably Endarno…' The fallen keeper was sure that Halinor would win. After all she shared the information on the tablet with her; Halinor had a boost to her elemental power too. Soon the sounds of battle ended but she didn't come. Half an hour had passed and Halinor didn't arrive yet. Suddenly the temperature started increasing and she heard an explosion. Nerissa decided she couldn't wait for Halinor. She transformed into her guardian form and destroyed the ribbons that held her. She then levitated to the door and blasted it open. Nerissa saw Halinor walking pass the burnt body of Cassidy…

"Is… Is she dead? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO HER!!?"

Halinor showed little trace of emotion "Yes she is. You were the one who said we had to do this. But do not think I'm heartless… Anyway let's get our job done. Are you coming or not?"

Nerissa couldn't believe how calm she was. 'How could she just accept the things written on the tablet so easily?'

Halinor's thoughts reached her 'I never said it was easy. All I know that it's a fact and I'm standing by your side till the end.'

Nerissa was shocked "You did it, didn't you! Why?"

Halinor handed the Heart to Nerissa "So that there will be no turning back for me, just like you. You sure you don't want to tell me what the ritual is about?"

"No… I'm not even sure that it'll work but I am the only one who can perform it. You just make sure that Kadma and Yan Lin do not interfere."

"Kadma is on our side. I told her to occupy Yan Lin while Cassidy came here alone. Yan is simply too attached to the congregation's judgement, she wouldn't listen to me without learning about the text written on the tablet."

"And I hope you didn't say anything to Kadma about the scriptures?"

"Absolutely not!... Anyway she'll be waiting for us in the Hall of Congregation."

Nerissa wondered why she suddenly became so defensive but there were more important matters at hand. She used the Heart to transposition them out of the Tower. The former keeper couldn't directly teleported them to their desired destination; the protective wards placed by the elders were sapping their transposition. They appeared in the Chamber of Spirits. The two former guardians now had to reach the Hall of Congregation on foot, where they would rendezvous with Kadma.

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Luba arrived at the scene as soon as she heard Halinor was attacking the Tower of Mists. She used the emergency route to enter the Tower, Endarno was inside and he had the armband key. The Oracle was still too weak and the elders were busy with placing wards around the Fortress in order to reduce the mobility of the traitors. The remaining two guardians' were limited in power (the Heart empowers them, remember?); Luba refused to let them absorb their aurameres in case they go out of control like Nerissa and Halinor. As if those weren't enough, Cassidy went after Halinor before Luba could join her. The keeper of the aurameres saw destroyed White Heralds everywhere as she climbed up the stairs to the top floor where Nerissa was imprisoned. When she reached the top floor she saw Endarno and Cassidy…

Luba first checked Endarno; he was just unconscious. She then turned her attention to Cassidy. Luba first thought she was dead but for a moment of silence she heard her breathing faintly. The water guardian was still alive. The keeper of the aurameres focused on her Kandrakarian magic to heal the burnt wounds. Cassidy slowly gained consciousness and summoned the gift of regenaration to help the healing process. Soon she was able talk.

"Halinor… where is she?" She then noticed Nerissa's cell door. It didn't take long for her to realize that Halinor and Nerissa had escaped. They had to be somewhere in the Fortress. She could guess their destination, the room behind the Hall of Congregation. Her friends were after the Universal Gateway. That magical device was a portal that was directly connected to the Cross-Roads. Whatever they were going to do might affect the entire infinite universes. They had to be stopped!

"Cassidy don't force yourself. Your injuries are still critical-"

Cassidy's answer was a surge of energy in her body that healed every single wound. To Luba's amazement she got up as if she wasn't near death moments ago. The same thing had happened twenty years ago when she defeated Agomoxian. Cassidy was tapping into her mysterious power. There was a blue aura around her, and her eyes were glowing in white.

She was now speaking with a divinely voice which echoed throughout the Tower "_Where are Kadma and Yan Lin?_"

Luba was certainly awed by Cassidy's transformation. It had been twenty years since she last saw her like this. She answered nonetheless "Kadma and Yan Lin are in the Hall of Aurameres; but they aren't at their full power ever since they took the Heart-"

"_Why didn't you let them absorb their aurameres? It's obvious that Nerissa and Halinor are drawing their power from some other source. You would have endangered no one._"

"I-I didn't know… I'm sorry."

"_What's done is done; I'll get to them now and both three of us will bring down Nerissa and Halinor._"

Cassidy transpositioned out of the Tower before Luba could say anything else. The water guardian materialized in the Hall of Aurameres and saw Yan Lin lying on the floor. She was in her human form but didn't seem to be hurt. The air guardian noticed Cassidy and smiled at her. Yan Lin cut right to the chase.

"Kadma is on their side, she had her full powers all along. They are all at the Hall of Congregation now…"

Cassidy looked at the aurameres. There were four of them. She used her magic to separate the silver sphere from its orbit and fused it with Yan Lin. The air guardian transformed into her guardian form; she was now permanent guardian just like Cassidy, independent from the Heart of Kandrakar. Cassidy examined Yan Lin.

"_Are you alright?_"

"Me? Fine… Now come on, let's go and knock some sense into their thick heads!"

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The entrance to the Hall of Congregation was silent… Elders were lying unconscious on the shattered floor. Kadma used her telekinesis to move the bodies out of the way to a save place. It wouldn't be long before this place turned into a battlefield. She heard explosions coming from the Meditation chambers; the wall that seperated the two neighboring chambers started to melt. Two shadows she saw passing through the newly formed entrance. Two people the earth guardian knew; Nerissa and Halinor.

"What took you so long? Couldn't you just transposition here?"

Nerissa both checked the surroundings to see if anyone were following them and answered Kadma "There are protective wards everywhere and we couldn't risk losing time zapping to the other end of the Fortress. Is the coast clear?" The hall and the corridor seemed to be empty and she sensed no magical concealments.

Kadma gave her a detailed report "The Oracle is in the Chamber of Spirits guarding the magic item replacas, Luba went to the Tower after Cassidy, Yan… she won't pose a problem, and I've taken care of the elders in the hall. So is Cassidy?…"

Halinor sighed "Kadma… Cassidy is-" Suddenly all three of them felt a powerful energy entering Kandrakar. A power that only one person had used before "…alive!"

Nerissa summoned her energy ribbons "Okay then, we have to do it right this time."

"No, Nerissa. You go and start the ritual I'll hold her off. If we are both defeated then all will be lost. I can keep Cassidy distracted until you finish whatever you're going to do. Now go!"

The former keeper tried to defend her case one last time "I'm staying with you-"

"GO ALREADY!" Determination… the common trait of all fire guardians.

Nerissa hesitated for a moment but then she nodded to Halinor. The fire guardian was right; Cassidy was too powerful for even both of them. And even if they managed to defeat her, in order to achieve complete success she had to finish the ritual at all costs. The fallen keeper of the Heart whispered a farewell to her friends as she ran into the Hall of Congregation. It might have been the last time she ever saw them for Halinor was going to fight to death. There were no other options...

Halinor turned to Kadma after Nerissa disappeared behind the door that led to the Universal Gateway "Kadma… please wait outside the hall and occupy Cassidy as long as you can. I'll need some time for my preparations. But promise me not to fight her… You haven't read the scriptures therefore she's way out of your league. I… I don't want you to get hurt…" The fire guardian found it hard to say farewell to her.

The earth guardian didn't know what was going on but she trusted Halinor; she always did. Kadma hugged Halinor, and they remained like that for some time. Then Kadma whispered in her ear.

"Take care of yourself."

Halinor went to the Hall of Congregation and she looked one last time at Kadma before she entered the hall. The earth guardian smiled at her as Halinor sealed the door previously destroyed by Nerissa. The fire guardian's only wish was to remember that smile forever.

Kadma sensed that the source of the incredable power was coming closer. She saw Cassidy and Yan Lin at the begining of the corridor; she immediately warned Halinor through telepathy. Soon the guardians arrived at the entrance and faced the fallen earth guardian. Cassidy thought there was still hope of getting Kadma on their side.

"_Kadma, it's not too late. Please, you must help us end this madness. The tablet did something to Nerissa, and Halinor was probably affected too during her mental war with her. They are not themselves… You have to trust us Kadma, we don't want to fight you._"

Kadma remained silent but she wasn't in her standard battle stance either. Yan Lin believed that she could be persuaded into joining their side.

"Look Kadma, don't do anything you'll regret later on."

The earth guardian had already made her decision; she spoke after Halinor told her that she was ready "I haven't read the tablet but I believe in my friends. Therefore I won't fight you so you may pass; but I will not join you either. Be prepared, for both Halinor and Nerissa will fight till death." Kadma then stepped aside allowing them to pass. Yan Lin blasted the door into pieces then she and Cassidy entered the hall.

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Cassidy and Yan Lin slowly walked down the stairs to the center of the hall where Halinor sitting on the floor in lotus position with her eyes closed. The two guardians knew that she was concentrating on her magic. Halinor had definitely been prepared for their arrival. Suddenly the battered door closed up behind them; Kadma had sealed their only exit. At first the fallen fire guardian didn't seem to be aware of them but then they felt her in their minds, waiting for an opening to strike. Cassidy used her mind barriers to protect both her and Yan Lin. Halinor, no matter how powerful, couldn't get pass a water guardian's mental defence, at least not directly. Although she still could speak to them through telepathy.

'Yan Lin, we have nothing to do with you. Go to somewhere safe and wait there until we're finished. I'll tell Kadma to open the door for you."

"What about Cassidy? Besides I am not going back so now either you give in peacefully or we will take you down. Is that clear?"

'How sad… You must have made up your mind already. I'll try not to kill you in the process.'

Cassidy was getting worried more and more with each passing second. Halinor was excluding her from her 'diplomatic' approach; this could only mean that the fire guardian intended to kill her. Plus she was using telepathy for communication which indicated that the spell she was about cast required utmost stillness. The idea of a fire beast more powerful than the phoenix that almost burned her to ashes terrified her. Cassidy examined the battlefield as she always did before the fight started. The hall didn't have much room but Yan Lin's ability to fly and levitate objects enabled them to get advantage of the high ceiling. It critical that they had enough place to manuever otherwise Halinor could easily overwhelm them with her element. The water guardian then noticed blurry figures hovering mid-air and encircling the entire hall. It didn't take long for Cassidy to identify them; those were magic glyphs written in white flame and they blended in perfectly with the white walls. There was no time to translate and dispell the mystical glyphs thus their effect would be revealed only when Halinor activated them.

Yan Lin had also noticed the glyphs but she had other concerns. She and Cassidy had discussed their battle strategy against all three of the traitors. Kadma threat was eliminated without bloodshed which was a relief on their accord. Halinor would be difficult to defeat but they formed a sound tactic for her new extra large fire beasts. Yet Nerissa would be toughest one as they knew little about her enhanced powers. Despite all the warnings of Cassidy she was more focused on how to defeat Nerissa rather than the current situation. The bright air guardian had created a special spell just for the fallen fire guardian and thought it would be sufficient to bring her down. Yan Lin never experienced the power of one who had read the tablet of Xin Jing…

With a single command word from Halinor, the glyphs glowed and were now clearly visible. Suddenly the aura around Cassidy strated to dim and soon it disappeared completely. The water guardian was cut off from her mysterious inner power! It was something the fire guardian learned from the scriptures, there was a whole text about Cassidy's power written on the tablet. And from the information the fallen guardian manged to find a way to block the flow of that energy; of course the glyphs could be dispelled after translation but she didn't intend to give them time for it. Halinor increased the pressure with a new mental assault. She used their worst memories to torment them; fears, deadly battles, problems with other people they let down, old enemies… all these were appearing in their minds as visions and the more they believed they were real the more they would got hurt, both spiritually and physically. Halinor didn't need to access their minds to dig such memories out. They used to share everything with their friend and that wasn't helping now at all! Of course it wasn't that serious… the guardians were simply above such cheap tricks yet the visions were irritating and distracting which was the actual goal of Halinor. The fire guardian focused on her element…

Once again a huge pillar of fire formed behind Halinor but this time it rised hundreds of meters up to the ceiling of the keep of the Fortress where the Hall of Congregation reside. The pillar lied down on the floor and encircled Halinor in a wall of fire. Then the pillar of fire started to take the shape of a serpent. Yan Lin watched with astonishment as the flames were sculptured in to a perfect replica of giant snake, if it weren't made of flames it could have easily mistaken with a real one. Every detail was flawless they could even hear the hissing sound of the beast, but Halinor wasn't done yet. The head of the fire serpent suddenly splint in to nine! Halinor had meditated for fifteen minutes to form invocation of the spell that would conjure this fire beast and now her masterpiece was complete…

Cassidy and Yan Lin gasped as the nine headed hydra turned all of its heads towards them. The serpent's roar shook the very foundations of the Fortress and knocked the guardians to the sealed door. Oracle in the Chamber of Spirits wished for the brave guardians' success for the enemy was more dangerous than ever, the magic aura of the hydra was more powerful than anything he saw before. Tibor never thought that the guardians would fight each other, but he had faith in Cassidy and Yan Lin. They would prevail, no matter the odds. In the Tower of Mists Endarno and Luba watched with horror as the blue skies of Kandrakar turned into red with the arrival of the great beast. The main body of the Fortress now resembled a giant lamp as light of the flames poured out the windows. The heat generated by the hydra was even greater than that of the phoenix; the guardians immediately flew as the floor started to melt. Yan Lin sensed that the magic holding the Fortress together was falling apart. If they didn't defeat Halinor in time the entire fortress would be destroyed!

The fire beast almost filled the entire hall its length streching hundreds of meters which easily dwarfed the phoenix conjured previously. There wasn't much space left for the guardians to evade attacks and they were already barely dealing with the presence of the beast itself let alone attacking! Cassidy was creating water to fight the intense heat but this was very difficult as she now also had to supply water to Yan Lin other than herself. The water guardian was also shielding both of them from Halinor's relentless mental attacks and she simply had no idea what to when the hydra actually attacked. The air guardian was doing her part too; she was creating air for them to breathe in this infernal furnace and providing Cassidy with the ability to fly. The guardians now both had to maintain their concentration and fight the hydra; harmony and teamwork was upmost importance if they were to defeat the fallen guardian. Cassidy looked at Halinor in order to find an opening because last time she conjured a similar beast she was in the open, defenceless. She only saw the tail of the hydra completely surrounding her, this time she was well protected but that way she shouldn't be able to see them. 'Then how come that hydra can follow our movements?... Darn it!' The answer was simple for Halinor was following their movements through their eyes; the mental assault was only for distraction as she fixed her sight on theirs. Now invisibility and hiding were out of option for the fire guardian would be aware of it and blind fighting wouldn't be an advantage at all. One of the heads spat a fireball at Yan Lin…

Yan Lin was ready for it, she had worked hard in short time to alter her shockwave spell for this encounter. She snapped her fingers and created an air vacuum on the path of the fireball, extinguishing it instantly. With this all the heads attacked a the same time, opening their mouths to swallow the guardians as a whole. Cassidy and Yan Lin franticly dodged the hydra's fireballs and flaming teeth, the guardian of air was flying close to the speed of sound but it wasn't enough as the hydra's heads were everywhere. She kept creating air vacuums to prevent the fireballs reaching them and ones she missed were stopped with difficulty by Cassidy's water barriers while Yan Lin blew away the hot steam formed by the collision of fire and water. But they're defence wasn't flawless, the hydra managed to burn them severely on some attacks and the gift of regeneration wasn't healing them fast enough for the flames Halinor created were too strong. The guardians were forced to run and stay defensive; the guardians couldn't bring up a strategy as they couldn't hear each other between the roars of the beast and Halinor's telepathic assaults didn't help either. The battle couldn't be more chaotic…

Yan Lin decided to blow off one of the heads; she vacuumed the air near a head. It extinguished… The guardian of air was so happy for her success that she put out all remaining heads instantly with her spell. It was easy… too easy. Suddenly the main body of the serpent sprouted new heads, two for each one destroyed. Now they were facing a eighteen headed hydra. 'Great job Yan…' thought the air guardian, with her unwilling assistance the term 'impossible to defeat' gained new standarts. Cassidy now had to unleash columns of water to keep the hydra at bay and this was really taking its toll from her precious energy. The water guardian formed a huge ball of water and compressed it until it became ice. Then she hurled the car sized iceball directly to Halinor with the help of air guardian's wind. The iceball sublimated before it could even come close… Yan Lin tried to apply her tactic to the body of the hydra; she concentrated hard and vacuumed the entire air surrounding the body of the serpent. Nothing happened… 'The main body is bonded to her!' Halinor had formed a magic bond between her and the hydra which meant the stemming part of the beast was of magical flames which laws of physics didn't apply. Only flames far from her (the heads) or detached flames (fireballs) were susceptible to Yan Lin's spell.

As minutes passed the guardians were slowly battered to defeat; they were getting tired and running out of energy, the gift was healing too slowly, the Fortress was falling apart and falling debris posed a serious problem, and Halinor improvised her beast's attack which breached the their only defence. The fallen guardian raised the now liquified marble which made up the floor through her hydra and spryed it out from its mouths instead of fireballs. The air guardian's vacuum did put out the fire of the liquid marble but didn't cool it or slow it down. Cassidy's water barriers also failed against the immense heat and momentum of the columns of liquid marble. The guardians couldn't even do active defence as water barriers were useless and a wind barrier would only feed the fire. They could only evade the attacks and hope for some miracle. And a miracle happened…

Yan Lin was flying at full speed to escape a head of the hydra and she saw another one in front of her. She flew sideways just in time as the two collided only to form a single larger head then the hydra swallowed the air guardian. Yan Lin part from desperation and part reflexively formed a wind barrier. The flames that engulfed her grew larger as she waited for the end; the head exploded along with a scream from Halinor. 'So this was your weakness from the beginning! It was her telepathy that led us to the wrong way! No wonder I couldn't figure out her achilles heel earlier.' When the fire consumed air it grew more powerful, too powerful for Halinor to gain control of it. Yan Lin formed a massive wind barrier around her and dived into the core of the hydra where Halinor was meditating in order to keep the beast standing. The guardian of air flew through the flames, destroying every part of the hydra she came in contact and finally she came near Halinor. Yan Lin focused on her element to create and expand the air around her. The hydra started to grow and soon the keep wouldn't be able to contain the titanic fire beast. The fire guardian tried her best to control her pet but its power grew too much for her to maintain. With one last effort Yan Lin unleashed a huge hurricane within the beast. The hydra of fire exploded…

"YAN LIINNNN!!!!!"

Most of the main body of the Fortress was obliterated as result of the destruction of the mighty fire beast. The smoke handn't cleared up yet and large chunks of rock fell down from the desrtoyed ceiling but none of these stopped Cassidy from finding Yan Lin. The guardian of air was completely burned and most of her body was covered with liquid marble. The water fell to her knees, she cried over her dead friend. From her teary eyes she saw Halinor standing before her. The fire guardian's face was emotionless as usual but it didn't mean she felt terrible for Yan Lin's death. Fire was her element and the explosion did little harm to her but she wouldn't be able to summon the hydra again for the water guardian would surely stop her. The fallen guardian waited until Cassidy stood up again.

The water guardian wiped her tears and faced the traitor; she wasn't going to say anything as she intended to end this as quickly as possible. Yet before she could even summon her element Halinor conjured thousands of nut sized fireball which gained the shape of an insect. A swarm of fire locust descended upon Cassidy. The guardian felt getting burned almost everywhere as if she didn't have enough injuries from hydra already. She shot columns of water but it only put out a small part of the swarm; she then closed in defence and conjured a medium of water. That move finally extingiushed all of the locust but during that time Halinor prepared her trump card…

Glyphs formed of white flame that limit Cassidy's power reunited between Halinor's hands. The fire guardian shaped the flames until the colour became blue and from her hands a bird rised. Cassidy's jaw fell to the floor; Halinor just did what was supposed to be impossible. In many planets she visited magical blue fire was used in the most sacred rituals. Dozens of shamans, priests or sorcerers combined their powers for days to light a tiny blue flame only for a second or two. Now Halinor had created a bird sized magical blue flame which was being maintained for almost a minute, not to mention it took her five minutes to create it and she didn't seem to break a sweat. A less experienced person would surely depreciate it but Cassidy was frozen in terror. She knew blue flame only burned spirits and souls which was sufficient to wipe her out of existance. That small bird was more dangerous than the hydra! The water guardian couldn't believe Halinor was doing this. Was her death really that important?

"Go Cheepee!"

The bird screeched and darted towards the water guardian leaving a trail of blue light behind. Cassidy's only chance was her unknown power but the glyphs still existed in Cheepee, bloking her access to her true strength. Jumped aside causing the bird to miss her, she then turned and blasted Halinor with a water column. The fire guardian fell down with a few broken bones yet it didn't break her concentration, Cheepee took another dive to the guardian. It was too fast… she couldn't dodge it. As blue fire phased through her it incinerated her soul. Cassidy fell down with a blank expression on her face. Cheepee landed on its master's shoulder. Halinor slowly walked to the soulless shell of her friend but as soon as she got near to her…

"You're done!"

Cassidy had barely survived the soul cauterization (being a legendary hero requires a strong soul after all) and used the time to cast a spell she never tried before. The champion of Kandrakar usually preferred martial arts over magic yet the water guardian was aware that every ability she possessed was equally important, if she was to save the day. It was now or never, the future of the universes depended on her success. A mass of water formed around Halinor's head which broke her concentration immediately, Cheepee burned into Oblivion. The fire guardian was caught off guard; she could have avoided the spell easily but Cassidy faked dead pretty well and since she couldn't read her mind, Halinor couldn't have known she was alive. The fallen guardian tried to evaporate the water but she couldn't summon her element. Cassidy released her just before she suffocated.

Cassidy sat down for awhile, her wounds were healing fast ever since the glyphs were destroyed along with Cheepee. When she examined Yan Lin's body she found out she was still alive. Cassidy immediately chanted a spell to activate the gift of regenaration on her. A few minutes later she looked at both of her friends; the naïve guardian still believed that they could sort out things after this madness ended. She didn't want to be alone again. Cassidy walked to the chamber where the Universal Gateway and Nerissa were.

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It was impossible for even Nerissa not to notice the battle between the guardians. Halinor kept her informed throughout the battle. The fallen keeper was abit troubled at first with Yan Lin's involvement and Cassidy's unnatural power, but as Halinor blocked the water guardian's power and defeated the air guardian (she didn't tell her she was dead) she was relieved. Yet after a few minutes her connection with Halinor was cut off. This could only mean that Cassidy was on her way.

She had finished the first part of the ritual. The fallen keeper had opened a fixed portal to a place written on the scriptures of Xin Jing, later to be named as the Cosmos of Abeyance. Nerissa was reading the tablet again which was now seperated from her body. The large stone tablet was standing near the portal and in a socket on the tablet was the Heart of Kandrakar glowing in white light. The magic crystal was a critical part of the second stage of the ritual. But it had to wait for Cassidy was almost there.

Nerissa had no time to write the glyphs that would prevent Cassidy from reaching her full potential, she had to confront her at her best. The fallen keeper casted all the energy barriers and shields she knew. She then summoned her energy ribbons. The former guardian then surrounded her body with pure energy that enhanced her physical attributes and allowed her to shoot beams without mental invocation. She casted many delayed spells which she could activate when the right time came. Nerissa knew her defeat would be a quick one if she couldn't disrupt the water guardian's combat pattern. Cassidy was a disciplined martial artist if she could dazzle her with her acrobatic moves done in a random fashion then she might have a chance. And Cassidy was a romantic heroine, if she challenged her to melee combat the honourable guardian wouldn't use her incredable mystic powers and her elemental powers on the former keeper. Nerissa was ready for Cassidy entered the chamber.

Cassidy walked towards Nerissa, whom she still considered as a friend, and saw that she was ready for combat. There was incantations around which meant that she would fight the water guardian with her full powers. She wasn't keeping her distance which meant that Nerissa was challenging her to a melee combat. No magic dual… This was the best solution for Cassidy because she didn't trust her mysterious power; she didn't even know its actual limits although Agomoxian and, if she could have used it, Halinor were the ones who would push her potential real far. All she really knew was the power provided her an infinite amount of reserve of energy though her mortal body could only use a specific amount of energy one at a time. Cassidy was glad that she didn't need to use it.

They both circled around the center of the chamber waiting for an opening move from each other. Nerissa knew that frontal attack would result a failure so decided to be more discreet; she wobbled her ribbons and with perfect control the ribbons' tips got close to her opponent's feet. Her opponent might be one of best martial artists in the universes but Nerissa was no push-over either. With her energy ribbons they were good as equal. Cassidy on the other hand decided on a fast direct attack. In point blank range Nerissa's ribbons were quite useless. The water guardian sprinted towards the fallen one. But just as she took her first step Nerissa pulled the ribbons and curled them with a wrist movement thus tying her ankles. A swift yet strong pull caused Cassidy to fall down. Nerissa then agitated the ribbons and skillfully wrapped up the water guardian before she could even get up. The guardian's neck was tied to her ankles from the back, her arms and legs were tied together leaving very little room to move. Multiple twists of the two ribbons fromed a helix and one last pull made the helix a strong braided rope. The stage was set, now Nerissa's performance could start…

Nerissa summoned her element and send an electiric current to Cassidy through the ribbons. The water guardian screamed in pain as the current which was more destructive than any lightning coursed through her body. But the fallen guardian wasn't done yet. Nerissa held the rope tight and swinged Cassidy slamming her into a wall while still electrifying her. The water guardian tried to break free but the ribbons were unbreakable! And the shock she was receiving gave her a hard time for thinking a plan. Nerissa kept slamming her to any solid object she could find in the chamber. When fallen guardian decided it was enough; she made wrist movement followed by a sudden pull of the ribbons. This resulted with serious cuts on the water guardian's troat, wrists and ankles. Cassidy was now free but the price was high as she was bleeding heavily. Nerissa wasn't finished yet; she knew the gift would heal her soon enough so the former keeper had to make sure she was dead. She started lashing Cassidy and with each lash she opened another serious cut on her. This continued only for a few minutes and then Nerissa wrapped her up again. She sent an immensely powerful electric current this time which shocked Cassidy for minutes, which seemed like an eternity to her, and finally caused an explosion. When the smoke dispersed Nerissa saw her ribbons were loose; Cassidy wasn't there…

It was too late for Nerissa when she noticed Cassidy running towards her from the left. The first she saw within that second was the water guardian's flying kick and the last thing was the wall approaching her real fast. Now in close range Cassidy got the advantage; a series of kicks followed her first strike. Nerissa avoided being hit by dodging each attack with her acrobatic moves which only lasted a minute. The water guardian as a trained warrior saw the pattern in her evasive maneuvers and changed her attack sequence accordingly. The result was spectacular as this time Nerissa took all the hits. The traitor would be counting stars already if it weren't for her energy barriers. But the fallen guardian had many tricks up her sleeve like her delayed spells. She spoke the command word to activate one of them. Suddenly Cassidy felt a jolt and realized that she was moving rather slowly. She mustered all her Qi (which was reduced greatly after Cheepee burned a part of her soul) to negate the spell but during that time Nerissa managed to open a few more cuts. Cassidy was determined not to use magic even if Nerissa did. She used Qi to enhance her attacks in order to breach the energy barriers which was successful as the fallen guardian's bruises could be seen now. Nerissa was using delayed spells because there was no time to concentrate or chant a spell during close combat; she activated another one. A ball of lightning appeared seven meters above them and started shooting lightning at Cassidy.Now the water guardian had to defend herself from ribbons and lightnings.

Cassidy decided to end their battle as Nerissa had given her opportunity by conjuring the lightning ball. She immediately caught one of the energy ribbons and used her greater strength to hurl Nerissa into the lightning ball. The fireworks were worth to watch. The former keeper stood up quickly, her own element did little damage to her. It wasn't the time to be honourable, Nerissa unleashed her full powers on Cassidy. Unlike Halinor's fancy and destructive powers Nerissa's were less glamorous yet more efficient. Her spells were renowned with their lethal precision. She fired a dozen of lightnings from her left hand and a powerful energy beam from the right. The pressure and pain were too much for the water guardian as her Qi shield was falling apart and the shock of the lightnings were slowing her down which made dodging impossible. She would be reduced to ashes in just a few seconds. Cassidy finally resorted to her inner power. Her blue aura and glowing eyes returned. She let Nerissa energy flow within her thus forming an energy bridge between them. The water guardian then used her mysterious power to convert Nerissa's energy to something else (yes she doesn't know what it is) and send it right back at her. The fallen guardian screamed in agony as she finally fell down. Nerissa was finally defeated.

Cassidy laid Nerissa near the wall and she started to examine the chamber. She couldn't figure out where the portal opened in the Gateway led to. Then saw the tablet that disappeared at the temple, she found it hard to believe that Nerissa had been carrying it all along. She started to read the scriptures.

A few hours later the former guardian woke up and saw the water guardian staring at the tablet. Nerissa hardly got up from the floor walked to Cassidy by leaning on the wall. She almost fell down but the water guardian caught her in time. The former keeper saw that she was staring blankly at her. Nerissa really didn't want her to learn the harsh truth. Yet she also felt guilty about not telling her before.

"I'm sorry…"

The water guardian suddenly snapped out of thoughts. Cassidy smiled at Nerissa and then she hugged her best friend. Nerissa couldn't hold her tears anymore as she cast the spell that would end all these madness. Yet she didn't want lose her best friend. She stopped at the final command word and looked at her friend. Cassidy wiped Nerissa's tears;

"_Do what you must…_"

Nerissa said the command word silently… Cassidy slowly started to disintegrate into atoms. Her smile didn't fade as her body disappeared, soon only her auramere was left behind. Cassidy; the water guardian of the Fortress of Kandrakar, a hero renowned and loved in countless worlds, the champion of good who cleansed the infinite universes from evil, and a good person who would always be remembered by her friends was gone… The former keeper knew that her spirit was still smiling at her.

Nerissa collapsed on the floor with tears in her eyes. Her friend was dead and she couldn't finish the ritual due to lack of energy. She had failed her mission. The keeper saw images of five girls before her, they all looked sad… She smiled at them and spoke with a whisper like voice "I've failed you. Please forgive me." One of the girls kneeled down next to the fallen keeper and put her hand on her forehead. The girl sang a beautiful song that had been millenia since it was composed. The former guardian felt peace after a long time. She had done her part, the next was up to them. Nerissa managed to cast one last spell to encode the scriptures on the tablet of Xin Jing before she passed out.

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Kadma entered the Hall of Congregation as the sounds of battle faded away. The once glorious hall was now unrecognizable; the walls had stattered, the ceiling had fallen down, and the entire hall had melted. She saw Yan Lin and Halinor lying on the floor. The guardian of air was in pretty bad shape but fortunately she was still alive, the gift had saved another life. Kadma used her healing spell on both of them, then the earth guardian carried them to a more comfortable place in the hall so they could rest better. She then proceeded to the Universal Gateway.

There she saw the Gateway was opened to some unknown dimension and near the portal was the huge tablet of Xin Jing. The Heart of Kandrakar was placed in a socket in the tablet; she then realized the writings were encoded. 'I guess it's for the best.' Kadma found Nerissa's body, she was still alive but there were no trace of Cassidy. She searched everywhere yet the only thing she could find was her auramere hovering over the ground. Kadma used her telekinesis to bring Nerissa, the Heart, Cassidy's auramere and the tablet to the Hall of Congregation.

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**Act 5: Blind Justice**

Act Guest Starring: Oracle, Tibor, Endarno, Prince Edmund, Johnathan Ludmoore, Lord Cedric

The Hall of Congregation was in chaos. No such crime had ever been commited within the walls of the Fortress. A guardian was murdered… And by the keeper of the Heart nonetheless. Nerissa was about to retire from being a guardian and join the council as an elder. A new keeper was to be appointed. Everything was going so well but suddenly... The Oracle couldn't believe how all these have happened.

Trials had been conducted many times in the Fortress of Kandrakar. Countless criminals had stood before the Oracle and the council of elders and sent to rehabilitation accordingly. All of these convicts were individuals either corrupted by emotions like; hatred, revenge, greed, and et cetera. Or it was the nature of the person; it was known that some creatures were pure evil. The current case was obviously the first option yet something didn't fit in, the motive… If it were only Nerissa then they could have concluded that she was corrupted by the power of the Heart of Kandrakar and tried to escape through the Universal Gateway to one of the infinite realms with it. In such a situation even the Oracle wouldn't be able to trace her. Yet the situation was more complicated.

Three of the guardians had betrayed the council, the Oracle, the very laws of Kandrakar itself, and most importantly their friends. This also could be explained with a variation of the first scenario if only they hadn't surrendered willingly. None of them tried to escape after Kadma brought them for trial. The three of them refused every single accusation but gave no reason for their actions; not to mention they could break free anytime they wanted. The rune that contained their powers could be dispelled and no one in the Fortress was strong enough to stop them should they ever had second thoughts. These facts confused the elders even further. Since the fallen guardians didn't say anything about the recent events they depended on Yan Lin's testimony. The council considered everything the accused had done so far…

Nearly a month ago a knight from the world of Metamoore beseeched help from the guardians and they accepted her queen's request. On that world the guardians allied themselves with four other companions and saved the city Nevres from bandits. Then they followed the remaining of the outlaws in the mines nearby the city. There they defeated the leaders of the gang but more importantly they discovered a temple that belonged to an ancient civilization which was apperantly older than even Kandrakar itself for there were records about it in the Hall of Memories. And this temple was dedicated to the Nymphs. Yan Lin had found out from the writings and hieroglyphics on the temple walls that there were five tablets kept hidden in the temple complex. After the group was seperated in the hall of the second gate, each member of the group faced their own share of enemies. But something else had happened to Cassidy and Nerissa; they had found one of the tablets. According to Yan Lin, Cassidy told her that Nerissa had been acting strange ever since she read the scriptures and that the tablet disappeared mysteriously. The air guardian also added that the other four tablets were missing. Events that occurred later were known by the council.

At least six hours had passed since the trial began. Halinor and Nerissa were standing on a rune magically carved on the floor. The rune severed their connection with the tablet which gave them their powers. The tablet was now in the middle of the hall; elders tried to examine the scriptures but Nerissa had enchanted it with a special code only known to her. Since Kadma didn't read the writings she participate the trial on a seat outside the rune. Yan Lin finished telling all the events that occurred on Metamoore. Tibor turned towards the accused and spoke to them.

The advisor of the Oracle wanted to give them a chance to defend themselves; that way the congregation might learn what they intended to accomplish "You heard the air guardian's testimony. Did she tell the truth? Is there anything you wish to add?"

Nerissa answered calmy "No… Everything she told was true." That was right but of course Yan Lin witnessed only a part of the whole story and neither three of them wanted to add anything. They knew that the things written on the scriptures were too important and dangerous to be shared with just anyone, even the Oracle.

Tibor wasn't going to give up that easily "Aren't you going to say anything to defend yourselves?"

They all remained silent…

Endarno asked permission from the Oracle to question the accused. His request was accepted. The guardian of the Tower wanted to reduce their punishment, even though all the things that happened. He, just like the majority of the elders, believed that something was amiss with all this treason. There were charges that the congregation was uncertain of due to lack of evidence.

"Nerissa… Is it true that you killed Cassidy?"

The water guardian's body was never found and there were no witnesses at the scene. The only thing that remained was her auramere which she absorbed years ago. It was all deducted from the battle results. Cassidy confronted Nerissa after she and Yan Lin defeated Halinor but since the air guardian was left behind the only person remaining to tell what happened was Nerissa. Endarno hoped that it was something else that caused Cassidy's death.

"Yes, I killed Cassidy."

Nerissa's words brought silence to the entire Fortress. Every single person in the hall, including Kadma and Halinor, was shocked by her cold hearted confession. To the amazement of Endarno she beared no trace of guilt in her expression but the Oracle thought the other way. This could mean two things; first option was that her soul was corrupted beyond all help. The second one was that she had an eligible reason for it; Cassidy's death could have been a necessity. It was a really farfetched possibility yet he had to find out the truth. This was one of his duties as the Oracle.

"Nerissa, why did you murder Cassidy?"

The entire Fortress waited in utter silence for the traitor's answer. An answer that only Halinor and Cassidy knew other than Nerissa. The words that would come out of her mouth would determine the fate of her and the Fortress of Kandrakar. Everyone held their breath as she started to speak…

"I… can't answer that."

All hope was lost. There was simply nothing that could save them. Her accomplices didn't say anything and there were no other that could say anything to defend them. Elders retired to a chamber and discussed the fate of the accused for hours.

"We have discussed long and reached a verdict. Under the circumstances we, the council of elders, found Nerissa, Halinor and Kadma guilty."

For the first time the Fortress saw war within its walls…

For the first time they were betrayed…

For the first time guardians were found guilty…

For the first time the Oracle had made a mistake…

The congregation's verdict was clear. The Oracle was about to state their punishment and by the millenia old laws of Kandrakar, Nerissa had to be punished with the greatest penalty ever given to a convict for her crime was unforgivable. He stood up and faced Nerissa.

"I thereby abide by the council's decision. Halinor and Kadma will be banished from Kandrakar and lose their status as guardians. But Nerissa's sentence will be greater than any given before…"

Nerissa's eyes shined, she saw a slight hope in Oracle's words 'Come on, come on… Don't let me down…'

"The Tower of Mists' top floor is insufficent for holding Nerissa imprisoned for a long time. Therefore I propose to exacute a new penalty…"

The fallen keeper was relieved 'Thank goodness…'

"I condemn Nerissa to imprisonment in Mount Thanos where the five elements combined will drain her powers completely."

Nerissa's eyes were wide open. Her last hope… was gone. "NO! You can't do this! You're making a huge mistake! I demand DEATH PENALTY!"

Endarno silenced her "There is no such punishment in the laws of Kandrakar! And you're in no position to demand anything!"

The Oracle looked at Nerissa one last time "Your punishment will be executed now." He then cast a spell on her that would send the fallen guardian to her prison in Mount Thanos.

That location was probably the best option for keeping her as the five elements flowing through the mountain would drain her energy denying her a chance for escape. Actually there was a way to break free but binding the five forces together wasn't something that happened everyday. The formation of an altermere would disrupt the flow of the elements thus giving Nerissa the opportunity to replenish her strength in order to escape but as long as they watched over the aurameres no such thing would happen.

Nerissa shouted as she started to fade away "You're making a great mistake! Yan Lin, you have to listen to me! NO MATTER WHAT, DO NOT-" The fallen guardian disappeared from sight.

The Oracle turned his attention to Kadma and Halinor. He was not sure about letting Halinor roam free on Earth with her immense powers. Yet they might have been forced by Nerissa to remain silent and assist her with her cirmes. He decided to give them one last chance for redemption

"Kadma… Halinor… I'm ready to release you from your charges; if you say you were manipulated by Nerissa. Please say something…"

Halinor spoke for the first time in the trial "The council reached its verdict without evidence or knowledge about what happened. Think about it Oracle… For once you couldn't observe us and you failed. I believe you are more than just your role as the Oracle but you must see the life beyond your sight. Experience things you've forgotten. As for your proposition… We are not proud of what we have done. Yet we have done everything with our own free will. Do what you must."

"We have no remorse for our actions and we accept our fate." added Kadma.

"So be it… May your punishment commence at once." And with it Halinor and Kadma were sent to Earth; never to return to the Fortress of Kandrakar. The congregation discussed other matters like the tablet of Xin Jing. They decided to follow elder Vaal's sugesstion. He would give the tablet to Ludmoore so that he could put it in its rightful place within the temple of the Nymphs.

Yan Lin was devastated. She was crushed under the weight of her decisions; she felt guilty about selling her friends down the river. Her testimony was the only thing that the council took as reference for their final decision. And the air guardian didn't protect them; she had to be logical and trusted Luba's advices. She hated herself… The Oracle stood before her holding the Heart of Kandrakar in his hands. Yan Lin wiped her tears.

"Oracle… I accept to safe keep the Heart until a new keeper is chosen but… I can no longer continue being a guardian anymore…"

Yan Lin casted one last spell to remove the auramere within her. With that final action the legendary guardians of Kandrakar were completely disbanded. The infinite universes were now vulnerable without the protection of the guardians. Dark forces had awaited this for so long…

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Almost at the same time Metamoore was about to face great changes of its own. The city of Nevres was crawling with people doing certain activities in the streets. There were long lines of people in front of food storages, wells, clinics, carpenters, tanners and blacksmiths. The streets were quite hectic with people rushing all over. Citizens one by one gave speeches to the crowds, everyone was whispering to each other, and some groups were shouting out loud. Not out of joy but out of anger…

They hated themselves for their cowardice…

They hated themselves for not being able to defend against simple bandits…

They hated themselves for depending on strangers…

They hated themselves for being weak…

They hated their Queen for causing them to become weak…

Miners brought all the metal left in mines to the city while blacksmiths forged them into deadly arms. Physicians foraged all the medical herbs, then woodsmen ravaged the whole forest and carpenters crafted bows, arrows and carts. Engineers made logistic plans and built siege weapons. Hunters were hunting every animal they saw and farmers were bringing out tons of supplies. Farming beasts were retrained and armoured to become war mounts. Men and women who had used only knives and simple farming equipment were now learning to use weapons of war. Spears impaled dummies, arrows hit target barrels, swords and sheilds clashed in practice fields. Metamoorians were preparing for war after centuries.

In the huge castle-like mansion two people were discussing about the rebellion against Meridian. Prince Edmund was watching his growing army from a window with satisfaction. Lord Cedric turned to him after speaking with a Whisperer. These artificial creatures were one of the alchemical masterpieces of Ludmoore. He also taught Prince Edmund how to incarnate them from plants with his Escanorian magic.

"Whisperer Caleb reported that our agents have levied five thousand men from the neighboring villages my prince. They will be here by noon."

"Good… Thirty thousand will be enough to submit Meridian. Those knights and guards are nothing but a joke. I'm not even sure they know how to hold a sword properly. Same goes for my precious parents too. No matter how powerful they are we'll still defeat them easily. Our combat prowess is far superior compared to theirs. They haven't experienced the harsh reality of war therefore they are weak. But we won't kill them… yet. Otherwise we'll lose the support of the commoners which is greatly required for the time being. And since our greatest threat, the guardians, are out of the way; we'll have little trouble with conquering Metamoore. By the way Lord Cedric, have you found a suitable general for the peasants?"

Cedric thought about it for a while "Frost will be leading the outlaws gathered from the wilds. I doubt any of the commoners would trust him or his goons.

"What about the the Basiliadian mercenary that we have captured?"

"We can't trust her, my prince. Let her train our soldiers for now, we may consider her later in the future if she proves her loyalty. And before you suggest Simca; I think we have better options. There was a couple who organized the resistance against the brigands. The people of Nevres recognize them as heroes, they can be good puppets. Ah! Yes… Alborn and Miriadel were their names."

"Perfect! Now with this problem settled we can turn our attention to-"

Ludmoore suddenly entered the room "Forgive my interruption Prince Edmund but I have managed to translate three words of the encoded scriptures. At this rate it will only take four Merea (about two decades) to translate it completely."

The prince was actually pleased by the news "Excellent! Just the time we need to prepare for my future plans." He rubbed his hands greedily.

Cedric raised an eyebrow "And what would those be my prince?"

"The peace that reigns over Metamoore made us all weak. A peace that the Queens imposed on the people of Metamoore for centuries. But there is also a place that imposes peace throughout the infinite universes."

Cedric was shocked by Edmund's boldness "You plan to attack Kandrakar! This is madness! You witnessed the power of the guardians with your own eyes. On top of that there is the council of elders and the Oracle himself! Not to mention that we don't know how to travel there."

Edmund smirked "Didn't you hear Kandrakar's ambassador Lord Cedric. The keeper of the Heart managed to critically injure the Oracle with a single blast. A single blast! We're talking about the scriptures of the creators, the Nymphs. Once the secrets of the tablet are revealed there will be nothing that can stop us! I still can't believe that fool actually entrusted it to us. It gets better… Even if the Oracle appoints new guardians by that time they will still be novices, not legends like the ones we met earlier."

Cedric was finally convinced. This could really work. "As always, your wisdom is matchless my prince."

Prince Edmund stood up and walked to the balcony of the mansion 'Time for the pep talk.' As soon as he, Lord Cedric and Ludmoore appeared on the balcony one of the squires blew a Metamoorian music instrument. A few minutes later almost all the population of Nevres gathered around the mansion. Edmund augmented his voice with magic.

"People of Nevres! People of Covur (name of the area)! PEOPLE OF METAMOORE! Hear me for I have seen what has been troubling you ever since barbarians attacked our fair city. You could not defend yourselves while they pillaged Nevres. You could not stand up against them as they killed your friends every single day of the siege. You cowered in your homes while they did everything as they pleased. Why? Because you were weak. And this weakness comes from the peace that dominates our world. Queens and other nobility preached for centuries about war wasn't a solution to anything. Bah! I say that peace isn't the solution either! Think about it! What if a warlord of another world decides to conquer Metamoore while we submit to simple bandits? Tell me what can we do if we don't have a standing army, if we don't have the courage to face them in battle, or if we don't have strong leaders? Do we have to depend on the help of outsiders? TELL ME!"

The crowds answered him with great zeal "We'd run like cowards but no more will this be!" "We need warriors to protect us not farmers!" "Strong rulers create strong people!" "The guardians can't always come to our help!"….

"I clearly see that you have learned the truth of nature. Only the strong survives! And we will share our new found wisdom with rest of the worlds after we enlighten all Metamoore. Now let us bring down our weak ruler and obey nature's one and only true law. I shall lead you to the gates of the Palace of Meridian!"

The crowd cried out their leader's name "Prince Edmund! Prince Edmund!-"

Edmund raised his hand up and silenced the mob. An evil grin appeared on his face "No! Edmund was a pathetic little man who believed in peace. That name has no meaning in our just cause. If the universes are to fear us then we must become fear itself! From now on I shall be called PRINCE PHOBOS!"

The crowd went wild with this "PRINCE PHOBOS! **PRINCE PHOBOS!**"….

Metamoore… A backwater planet that most were unaware of its presence. Yet now an evil so great was rising from it with a tide of war to consume every world. The infinite universes' golden age of peace was about to end…

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Seven years had passed since Kandrakar's darkest hour. Kadma and Halinor continued to live in Fadden Hills during that time. Kadma was glad to see Halinor was far better than before, the former fire guardian was actually enjoying life after a long time. She started working in the Rising Star Foundation again and even talked to people. They both could be happier only if their friends were there with them. But two of them were beyond their reach and Yan Lin spoke to them briefly for she felt guilty about having them banished from Kandrakar.

Although things started to change in the last few days. Halinor suddenly became silent… more than ever. She sent Kadma away each time the former earth guardian tried to talk to her. She was becoming more aggressive each day. Kadma was concerned about her health; she was breathing heavily and laughed in a demented fashion occasionally. Kadma was especially frightened of her long monologues in front of the mirror. It was as though Halinor was trying to suppress something.

One day Kadma saw her running into the living-room. She decided to speak to her for good this time; she wanted to know what was going on. When she entered the room Halinor was standing near a desk her hand on a drawer. A drawer that had always been locked. She opened it and picked up a gun…

Kadma could never imagened she would go this far "Halinor! What do you think you're doing? Put that gun down."

Halinor looked at her as though it was the first time she saw her. Then she shook her head and recognized the person before her "Kadma… Don't come near me. I-I'm sorry… I have to end this now!" Halinor felt a sharp pain in her chest and feel on to her knees. She started to cry.

Kadma took one step towards her but Halinor crawled on the ground until she reached the wall. Kadma calmly walked and smiled at her "Calm down Halinor… Everything's going to be alright. Just tell me what's wrong."

"Stay back Kadma! I-I don't want to hurt you. Please… give my diary to the rightful owner of the Heart. Arrggghh! I… can't hold it back anymore." Her face became red because of the pain. Yet Halinor still managed to give a warm smile to her. Kadma watched her tremble with pain, the former fire guardian was trying hard not to scream. Halinor held her wrist tightly and to Kadma's surprise pointed the gun to herself.

"No! Don't-"

"I love you Kadma."

Halinor pulled the trigger…

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**Epilogue**

The greenhouse was silent. None of the guardians dared to speak. Kadma was finally relieved after all those years; a great burden was lifted from her shoulders. She started coughing again and this time she coughed blood, it was getting worse by the minute. The girls gathered near her. Cornelia went to fetch a glass of water while Irma went to find a blanket. Taranee was trying to lower her temperature with a wet towel. Kadma stopped Will before she could call an ambulance. She spoke when all five of them were there.

"There are-cough a few more things I have to tell you-cough. I knew Nerissa was innocent-cough because the same thing was about to happen to-cough-cough Halinor before she… commited suicide. And I believe-cough-cough-COUGH… it would have happened to Cassidy too. For that I forgive Nerissa and I'm sure Yan Lin will too-cough… once she hears the whole story. As you may have guessed these were all caused by that person-cough."

Will couldn't believe that these terrible things happened to them after all the good things they have done. "Why did everything go downhill all of a sudden? Why did it have to happen this way?"

"It's simple, rightful owner of the Heart-cough. You see, we had commited the greatest crime. As guardians it was our duty to protect the balance of nature. Yet we disturbed the balance, only in the other way-cough-Cough-COUGH-cough…"

Taranee held her hand gently "You must rest Kadma. Don not force yourself-"

"Didn't I say something about not interrupting?-cough-Cough… Anyway I'm just glad that-COUGH-Cough… I could tell you the true story of us, even-cough it's only a small part of it. The rest you have to hear from Yan Lin-cough…"

The young guardians waited patiently for her to finish. Kadma's vision became blurry, looked at those five young girls. She smiled as she saw a bright white light shining on them. She saw them in their true forms as the guardians. The girls had no idea of what she saw. Yet in their hearts they knew Kadma was happy after a long time in her life. The former guardian of earth then spoke.

"You now know your legacy… I have given you the torch and I know by heart that you will defeat this new evil… Because you are **the** chosen ones………"

Kadma closed her eyes…

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It was raining heavily that day in Heatherfield cemetery. Almost two days had passed since that cold and fateful night in Fadden Hills. This day many children and adult mourned for a woman who had been a mother to them. The Rising Star Foundation was present with all its workers, directors, and the people who were raised within it. They were all there for Kadma's funeral. Tears mixed with rain as the coffin was lowered into the grave. People slowly left the cemetery after the burial was completed. Only five girls remained.

They looked at four graves out of thousands.

One grave to the north of the cemetery belonged to Yan Lin the former air guardian. She believed in the judgements of her elders till the bitter end, yet always wished for the greater good. The once witty and wise guardian was now a member of the Triad trapped in Kandrakar. The girls promised to save her and all the others imprisoned within the Veil of Darkness.

Another to the east belonged to Cassidy the former water guardian. She was always there when duty called. Always there when people needed help. And she always did what she had to do, no matter the cost. Because she was the legendary defender of good that even death failed to conquer many times. The girls had faith in her; she would once again triumph over impossible odds.

A grave was standing right next to Kadma the former earth guardian's grave. It belonged to Halinor the former fire guardian. They met each other when they learned they were the guardians of Kandrakar. They were seperated when all evil in the universes were vanquished. But this didn't last long for they found each other once again. And even death couldn't seperate them for long. The girls silently swore to defeat the evil that disturbed the after-life, so they could be together forever.

Yet one was missing… One who was forgotten… One who was misunderstood… This wasn't right. A white light illuminated the cemetery. Now there were five guardians instead of five girls. The first guardian stopped the rain and dried the land. The second one blew the clouds away, letting the sun shine. The third one shaped the earth into a grave with flowers and raised a stone from the ground. The fourth guardian gave the stone shape with flames. And finally the fifth guardian carved her words on the stone. All five stood before the grave for a while; they then disappeared in a blue light.

The next day a visitor saw the new grave and read the writing on the headstone.

_Here lies Nerissa_

_A true hero who sacrificed her own soul_

_In order to save every other soul_

_May your spirit rest in peace_

_Even if you did terrible things_

_Do not forget it wasn't the true you_

_For your friends have forgiven you_

_So do we._

_W.I.T.C.H._

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**This chapter has been dedicated to all C.H.Y.K.N. fans.**


	6. Light of Meridian No More part1

Okay... I know W.i.t.c.h. has been appearing in very little scenes for some time but this is the last. I promise from chapter six till the end of the story W.i.t.c.h. girls will be the leading characters. The fifth chapter (all four parts) takes place entirely in Meridian with the characters we know plus new ones. The new chapter is more focused on character interactions rather than combat. This is part one of chapter five, enjoy!

Chapter Guest Starring: Elyon, Caleb, Ari, Yua, Maqi

**Disclaimer: I do not own W.i.t.c.h. comics or tv series along with all the characters related.**

**Chapter 5: Light of Meridian No More**

**Prologue**

Metamoore, The High Plains

Sun shined on his face as Blorn put on his hat for some shade. The porter didn't have any complaints about the intense sun light, it was far better than the darkness that existed during Phobos's reign. The light of Meridian was a blessing to all Metamoore. The Gohmorian (Vathek's people) was a stout young man with a handsome face. He wiped the sweat from his blue face and unloaded the heavy barrel filled with salt from his back. It had been a long journey from Gohmor to Meridian. Blorn sat down near a tree, after all he deserved a little rest. The caravan leader had sent him to scout the road ahead for any kind obstacles living or non-living. Why he was carrying extra load then?

'Master Ujar sure knows how to keep his students in shape. Speak about tough drill! Still he is the best.'

The barrel was to be carried on foot during the caravan trip by the orders of his master. The young man was eager to return to his garrison in Meridian. Blorn was being trained by blademaster Ujar to become a palace guard. This was his dream ever since Queen Elyon rised to the throne two years ago and it wasn't long till his potential was noticed by the blademaster. Ujar saw him during a trip to Gohmor; the warrior was attacked by a group of muggers. Luckily Blorn was passing by and the young man lended his help to the blademaster. They both made a quick job with defeating the muggers. It was then Ujar offered him training and he was training ever since. His master had told him that honest labour to earn his living would help him remain close to the common folk even after he moved in to the palace grounds. So he decided to be a porter for caravans; this also gave him the opportunity to visit his relatives in Gohmor and test his combat skills on bandits should they ever dare to attack. Although not many were left after Phobos's defeat.

Fortune smiled on Blorn as he saw a group of travellers coming from the way he came. Now he could ask the group about the caravan's condition as he needed to wait a few more hours for them to catch up with him. He stood up and greeted the group.

"Hail travellers, whence came you?" said Blorn with cheerfully as always, he was very friendly during times of peace.

One of the travellers removed his hood thus revealing his face. Blorn was shocked by the man's looks 'One of the nobility, alive? I thought Queen Elyon was the only one remaining!' Elyon was the only human known to be living on Metamoore, at least after the dreadful day known as the 'Great Purge' and Phobos's death at Kandrakar. Although the tyrant's fate was uncertain, the people of Metamoore preferred to consider it that way. The man that stood before him was definitely human.

The blue haired man pointed the strange structure that was barely seen behind a hill. Blorn saw a gateway formed from vines and tree branches; within the gateway was a green coloured portal. Hundreds, no, thousands of people were exiting it. Then the man spoke to him.

"From another world."

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**Act 1: Refugees from a Distant World**

Act Guest Starring: Alborn, Miriadel, Vathek, Daltar

Palace of Meridian, Assembly Hall, A Month Later

"Another fight in Ward's Plaza. Sixthy four wounded and two buildings set on fire. This is the fourth so far and it's getting worse each time... Any other suggestions for a solution?" Elyon certainly wasn't in a good mood. The pressure of the latest events weighed heavily on the young Queen. The fights between the locals and the refugees were getting out of control. And the parliament has been discussing it for days with no proper solution to be found!

Commander Alborn was absent the whole week; he was gathering information about the uneasiness that now reigned Meridian. He returned a day ago with a detailed report and now had been representing it for seven hours in four sessions. Many members of the parliament were eager to share their own ideas about the current events thus interrupting Alborn frequently. He was about to reach the conclusion, the long awaited solution "The source of the dispute is obvious your highness. Arkhantian's are accused of theft-"

"For the last time, my people aren't THIEVES!" Ari's voice echoed loudly in the assembly hall of the palace, causing members of the parliament to shiver before his outburst. The lord of Arkhanta was the only person representing the refugees. He tried his best to protect his people for the last two weeks but he was only a simple farmer. Ari had little experience in court affairs.

"Commander Alborn is just pointing out a fact Lord Ari. Your people are accused of theft yet there are no evidence to be found. And our laws clearly state that no one is guilty till proven otherwise. May the hearing proceed." Thankfully Caleb was acting as the perfect moderator. It was he who volunteered for the difficult task of leading the secret assembly. If it wasn't for his logical arguments, a contention would be inevitable.

Elyon still felt the need to appease him "Lord Ari, we understand your sensitivity towards your people's honour and respect it... Now, commander Alborn I believe you have a report to continue with." Elyon thought about the Arkhantian's story 'It must be very hard for them... to lose their world to darkness and to continue living on an alien planet. Yet he is still determined.' Ari had earned the respect of the light of Meridian.

Alborn continued with his report as soon as his foster daughter gave her full attention to the matter at hand "Yes your majesty. As I told in the last session, there has been numerous pickpocketing, burglary, shoplifting and robbery over the last twelve Jouna. All began the same time the refugees were allowed to settle in the empty buildings of Meridian. The difference in customs, laws, culture and many other factors caused the unrest between the local citizens and refugees. And it is true that they were forced to hard labour for a living with little payment which provided the motivation for crimes commited. The young section of the Arkhantians is impatient about their current conditions and since there are few adults to discipline them they tend to be rebellious."

"True enough." Vathek, who also observed the refugees in close, had roughly come to the same conclusion. Alborn had consulted him before finishing his report.

"That makes sense." Elyon thought that her father's reasoning was pretty much a textbook display. After all he didn't spend much time on Earth to completely learn human social behaviour.

It was hard for Ari to accept even the possibility of such things, but he knew the commander was right. "Sigh... Perhaps you have a point. But what do you plan to do about it?" It was the solution which worried him most.

The whole parliament was relieved by Ari's words, especially Alborn "The solution I suggest is that we open a door for the refugees by giving them decent jobs and a place to call their own. For example the city Nevres has been abondoned for almost three Marea. We can't let an old prohibition set by Phobos to skip such an opportunity to exploit the iron mines surrounding the city. Plus the high plains are suitable for farming."

Ari quickly brought up the downsides of the plan "We have barely escaped the destruction of our homeworld... and now you're telling me that five hundred thousand people has to migrate to a city which is, how far away?"

Elyon answered that; Will had told her Arkhanta's time standards were almost the same with Earth as the two planets had similar features "A month as in your calander."

"You see! Most of us cannot endure such a journey."

Vathek had to agree with Ari as he was responsible for the enumaration of the refugees "Well, Lord Ari is right in that case. Most of the refugees are either elderly or infant." Most of the men remained on Arkhanta to ensure the escape of their families. But the portal closed up before they could pass to Metamoore. Their fate was unknown...

Captain Miriadel decided to shed some light on the delicate subject "I agree with Alborn. The citizens of Meridian are not ready to share the city with the Arkhantians. By the way, speaking of opening doors... Perhaps a portal will take care about the migration problem."

"Can be done. If Yua is willing to help of course." Elyon was eager to learn more about the banshee as she was really impressed in Yua's ability to open a portal from Arkhanta to Metamoore. A feat she could accomplish only when her powers were enhanced by the Crown of Light.

"She has to. The banshee doesn't have a choice in any matter as long as she's binded to a master." Ari didn't like idea of involving Yua into this but... he owed it to the banshee. The latest events caused Ari to change his prejudices rather drastically.

Vathek seemed to have other concerns "Besides settling the refugees we cannot ignore the crimes commited. I say we form a group to find out the culprits and bring them to justice."

Captain Miriadel was quick to answer "That'll be taken care of. I'll personally gather and lead a team."

All faces turned to Ari, waiting for his reaction "I have no objections against an investigation. If one us is guilty, then punishment is required. We Arkhantians also value justice." The representitive of Arkhantians was actually quite generous. The parliament had given him the right to veto such acts.

Caleb was pleased by Ari's trust in their auhtority "Okay... I call for a vote. All who favours commander Alborn's plan light the blue candle, for those who disagree light the red candle."

Soon the hall was illuminated in blue light. Queen Elyon declared the result "The plan is accepted with a consensus. If the terms are agreed by the representitive, we can discuss the details later on."

Caleb turned to the representitive of Arkhanta "Lord Ari, your decision will be the final one. What say you?" He hoped Ari would agree on the terms. This was the best solution proposed in the last few days. Caleb had his own ideas but as the moderator he had to remain objective. Besides Alborn's suggestion made sense and Miriadel's plan for the migration was applicable. "Lord Ari?"

"I... I accept the terms on behalf of my people." It was difficult for Ari to accept these conditions. Not that he found them faulty but the idea came up so quickly. He'd like listen to other ideas as well yet there wasn't enough time for other discussions.

With Ari's approval Caleb announced the conclusion of the assembly "Then it is settled. People of Arkhanta are the guests of our fair city until a gateway is opened between Meridian and Nevres. Also, a team of investigators will be formed by Captain Miriadel to resolve the theft problem. The assembly is over, court dismissed."

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An autumn night in Meridian was one of the wonders a traveller would wish to see at least once in a life time. Golden, orange and auburn coloured leaves dominated trees within the city and the vast, endless forests that lied beyond its borders. Yet the actual reason for its fame was that, on a cloudless night the moon light would reflect from leaves causing spectacular twinkles. People spent such nights on high places (mostly the roofs of their homes) and watched the forest. It was as though the sky itself had landed on the trees with all of its stars. And one of the best places to observe this amazing sight was the palace of Meridian as it was the tallest structure in the city; not to mention built on a hill too. From the window of one of an old palace chamber two people were enjoying nature's miracle. They both came from a distant world which was out of a fairy tale and colourful as a rainbow. Many wonders also resided in their homeland yet witnessing this on a planet darker in nature... Now that was what made 'sky landing', as the locals called it, special in those two people's eyes.

Yua sighed as she dreamily looked at the forest of Covur. Banshees were creatures born evil and normally would simply ignore even a fantastic event like this one. The evil fairies secluded themselves in their swamps, away from the rest of Arkhanta. Yet Yua was different somehow; she was... changing. Strange emotions she felt in her heart... Next to her was Maqi standing on a stool in order to look out the window. The six year old boy was completely undisturbed by the banshee's presence. In fact they were even friendly towards each other, despite all things happened in the past. Yet even the overprotective Ari was beginning to trust Yua enough to leave his son alone with her.

The full moon finally rose above the mountains and shined upon the forest with all its glory. Maqi gasped at the scene before him "Yua, did you see that!"

"Yes... it's hard to miss." After a few minutes the cool breeze turned into a cold wind. Maqi knew what was about to come as Yua draw back from the window "Oh no! Please don't!" The banshee's hand came closer to Maqi as he stepped down from the stool...

Yua closed the window. "Time to go to bed, don't make me repeat myself. Okay?"

Maqi reacted like every other child would "Why!?-"

"It's already late and I don't want to make an explanation to your father should you get sick." Yua was this challenge every night for the last two weeks. But she was slowly getting the hang of it.

"It's not fair... I w-" the boy was silenced by Yua before he could finish his sentence. She was glad that the six year old was pretty predictable.

"Now go to sleep!" Both of their eyes locked on each other in a test of willpower. Maqi gave in a few seconds later and went to bed. The banshee just ignored the grumbling of the child and waited until he was fast asleep.

"Good night... Maqi." Yua still found it hard to believe that she actually cared about the child.

It was only then she felt someone was standing behind her. Yua had always been prepared for danger yet Ari was the only one who managed to sneak up on her. It was his skill in stealth that enabled the farmer to capture the banshee almost a year ago and still Yua sensed his presence only when it was too late.

"How was the assembly? Any results?" asked the green haired woman without turning towards him. The banshee was wild and independent by nature; and enslavement was the worst thing that could be done to her. Therefore she hated Ari with every fiber of her ligneous body when he binded her to his service. Yet now Yua was experiencing the other side of the madallion; she was not a slave to her instincts anymore.

"Yes, we will be moving to a city called Nevres but it seems that we need your help to open a permanent portal between the two cities." answered Ari getting to the point quickly.

Yua understood why they needed her help; such gateways had to be opened on both ends at the same time, and only she and Queen Elyon were powerful enough to conjure a long lasting portal. "I'll do what I can. So... the migration, did they proved that Arkhantians were responsible for the problems?" Yua had estimated that the settling was some sort of deportation.

"No, that's not the case. The plan was accepted by all and has my blessings, yet Alborn was right about something. Our people might have the caused of the incidents that plauges Meridian. I should go to the city center and check it out personally-"

"Don't even think of such rash actions. You're still needed here and I saw what happened last night; you might get cought in fight. But if you're insisting on finding the criminals then I'll do it."

Ari wasn't ready to let the banshee loose in the crowded streets of Meridian. He didn't trust her that much yet "And how do you plan to go unnoticed? Do you think they'll talk to you at all. You're quite infamous for both people." He tried a more discreet approach by showing the weakness in her proposition.

Yua boiled with anger at his remark and snapped at him "I'm aware of that!!!" Lately she was irritated by every remark that reminded her difference from the others.

It was the reaction he expected from the banshee but he, in a weird way, hoped for something else "Good!"

They both turned their backs to each other resentfully. Then an unexpected person interrupted the disturbing silence.

"Why don't you both go then?" Maqi proposed innocently as he had been eavesdropping on the whole conversation. Yua thought that the son surely had inherited his father's talent in subterfuge.

Ari thought about it for awhile then gave up "...Alright..." as there was no point in arguing further.

"Whatever..." Yua also had to agree both of had a better chance in finding the source of the problem. The banshee possessed great magic but she clearly lacked Ari's subtlety and common sense.

Both Ari and Yua went to their own quarters to get ready without saying a single word. In the chamber that once belonged to a young knight named Simca, Maqi quietly covered himself with a blanket. He was smiling for the first time ever since Arkhanta was attacked by the legions of darkness.

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Elyon collapsed on an armchair in the balcony of her chamber. The young queen was exhausted both physically and mentally. She had learned how to manage the basics of the duties that her position required but Elyon was surely not ready to handle a crisis of this magnitude. 'At least we managed to reach a decision. I hope Yua will cooperate.' After hearing the guardians' stories about the banshee, she had faith in her. According to Cornelia the banshee wasn't actually evil and it was Yua who helped hundreds of thousands of Arkhantians to reach safe heaven meaning there was still hope for Meridian and its people. The queen sighed and raised her head to take a deep breath. Finally her troubles passed away as she saw the full moon shining on the forest of Covur.

Someone spoke the unspoken words of Elyon "You can live in Meridian for a life time and witness sky landing with full moon many times. But each one will be like the first." The voice came below the balcony.

Elyon looked down at the garden where Caleb, Daltar and his family were sitting on the inner palace wall; the gardener was smiling at the young queen. Elyon smiled back at him "Yes, I've seen it with full moon thrice already but it never gets dull." She slowly levitated towards the inner wall and then enjoyed the view with them.

Two hours had passed before sky landing came to an end. Now Elyon was once again left to think about the assembly in her chamber. She wandered into the hall at the entrance of her room and suddenly stood before a painting. It was a portrait of a young girl, possibly in her twenties. The queen had never heard about this one as there were only portraits of the royal family in the hall. According to its place in the order of paintings the girl had to be her older sister. No one had said anything about a sister, especially someone resembling Caleb...

"That's knight Simca from house Hoél." said Caleb, easily guessing Elyon's question. He was standing right next to her looking at the portrait. Elyon turned to him, her eyes were asking for more information about her. Although Caleb barely knew the history of Metamoore before Phobos's reign; Simca was one of the exceptions. "She was the person who formed the first rebellion against Phobos's tyranny."

"First rebellion? I thought there was only one."

"No... We were the second, formed after Simca's death. It was two years later when Phobos's rebel army entered Meridian and your parents hand over the sovereignty of Metamoore to him. She was killed by Phobos, two years later the same day you were born."

Elyon lowered her head and spoke like a whisper "He just had to destroy everything that was good, hadn't he?"

"More true than you know. Although it is never mentioned by anyone... Elyon, your birthday is also known as the 'Great Purge'. It was that day Phobos executed every single member of the royal family and nobility in the city square. All who bore Esconorian magic died, except a few that survived the guillotine; you, Simca, Ludmoore and Phobos. He then closed himself in the palace slowly draining the whole world... You know the rest of the story."

"Sigh... Finally someone has the courage to tell me about my parents' fate and all the others." She smiled at him, but the young queen still had questions for him "But if she was a knight, why is her portrait doing here in the Escanor section of the palace?"

"The same reason for her murder. According to the laws only a queen can rule Metamoore and wear the Crown of Light. Your parents were forced to give up the throne and since you were an infant the people had to choose another queen until you grow up. Their choice was Simca and for everyone she was the best choice. As a warrior she fit right in the describition of the ideal ruler in Phobos's campaign towards the nobles, she was loved by the people, and she and Phobos were childhood friends making the paper marriage easier." He remembered the celebrations in Meridian; people believed it was the dawn of a new age. An age of power and prosperity. The new queen's light would be brighter than any who preceeded her. Alas, none of it were meant to be...

He continued a minute later "But when Phobos found out the decision, he ordered a horde of bandits, later became the palace guards, to arrest all humans in Meridian. At same time your mother, Queen Fiona had just gave birth to you. Simca managed to rescue you before Cedric took your parents away. She then went underground with others and started the first rebellion against Phobos."

Now, Elyon was a bit confused "Simca saved me from Phobos! I thought it was-"

Caleb put an end to her interruption "I'm coming to it. The rebellion continued for two years until one day Ludmoore found your hideout. I was the only one captured from Ludmoore's recon team of whisperers-"

Elyon had always been curious about Caleb's origin and she didn't miss the opportunity "Wait! Is that how you become who you are now?"

Although Caleb was irritated by the interruptions, he understood Elyon's feelings. She thirst for knowledge as all the others avoided talking about those dark times. "Yes... And it was Simca's kindness and efforts which gave me the willpower to break free from Phobos's command."

Elyon was having trouble with bringing up their resemblance in appearence. She mustered all her courage "I... noticed that you kinda look like her."

Caleb knew she would ask that, many did before her. The warrior remembered every detail of the transformation. He was practically reborn that day when his shape changed to a cross image of a whisperer and human. "The transfiguring process required magical blood. It was supplied by Simca, hence the resemblance. After I joined their cause she became my teacher. I learned everything I know from her; combat, history, politics and every other thing that defines me as free willed person... Well, we even shared the same taste in clothing. The trench coat used to belong to her."

"Anyway... Then what happened?"

"Phobos and Cedric attacked the hideout with a battalion of palace guards. It happened all of a sudden as a portal opened right in the middle of the central room. Simca managed to snatch the seal of Phobos and gave it to Alborn. She was trying to hold Phobos off while Galgheita and your foster parents took you through the portal to Earth. No one knows what her fate was..."

Both of them had walked to the balcony during their conversation. They both remained silent for a long time. Those were dark times indeed. Although, Elyon was glad to learn more about Meridian's past and Caleb's...

Caleb was relieved; he long waited tell her everything that was kept secret from her. He wanted to say something to her but the words just didn't come out. Then he decided to leave to his chamber "Alright, we should rest now. It has been a busy day and there are preparations to make tomorrow for the settling in Nevres. So... good night..."

Suddenly Elyon felt the restraints of the palace heavily on her, the young queen wanted to be a free spirit. She wanted to be one of the people not a queen. She wanted to spend some more time with Caleb "The weather is fine. Cold, but fine. Shall we take a walk in the streets?"

Caleb smiled at her offer "As you wish Elyon..."

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In the slums of Meridian was small, detrited and abandoned building. On its roof a girl watched the sky landing and remembered Basiliade, the world she came from. She arrived here eighteen years ago as a mercenary, hired by a person who sought to bring down the royal family to its knees. Well, she trusted a traitor and payed a heavy price.

After she was defeated by an alchemist named Ludmoore, who burned half of her face with acid, she became a slave to Prince Phobos and was forced to train peasants in the ways of combat. She hated her life even more when Phobos rised to the throne. The mercanary was thrown into the dungeon and was forgotten there for fifteen years. She was freed during Elyon's reign yet even freedom didn't cure her thist for revenge.

Once she was sad for leaving her home... but now she would create a new one. One from the ashes of the old. Her new master had ordered her to bring down the bastion of light. Lyn Tarr of the Order of Twilight would do it gladly. Nothing could stop her from burning this cursed city into ashes. Meridian was a barrel of gunpowder, and she was the match.

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**To be continued...**

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Note 1: Part 2 will be uploaded within a month. Hopefully.

Note 2: Lyn Tarr was the captured Basiliadian mercenary mentioned by Cedric in 'The Hidden Truth part 2'.

Note 3: Waiting for reviews.


	7. Light of Meridian No More part2

Sorry for updating so late, summer school consumed most of my time. Anyway, this is part two of chapter five 'Light of Meridian No More'. Things are heating up as our heroes notice that not everything is like what meets the eye. There is something amiss within the dark alley's of Meridian. The past returns to haunt Metamoore once more; as an insidious plan is set in motion. Will our heroes solve the mystery before Meridian is reduced to ashes? Enjoy the new chapter!

Chapter Guest Starring: Elyon, Caleb, Ari, Yua, Maqi

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own W.i.t.c.h. comics or tv series along with all the characters related.**

**Chapter 5****: Light of Meridian No More**

**Act 2: ****A Series of Encounters**

Act Guest Starring: Gérard, Odec, Miriadel, Padja, Kelben, Helena, Ujar, Blorn

Meridian, Three weeks earlier

Kelben pulled the empty bucket out of the well. He stared at it for awhile with great dissapointment; even the mud had dried up. The old man climbed up the stairs slowly. Things weren't going good at all; first his granddaughter got sick and now they didn't have water. Metamoorians had all the full wells in their territory and wouldn't let any Arkhantian close by. Padja turned to her grandfather as he entered the main room with an empty bucket. The five year old wasn't surprised, she had learned not to hope much ever since she started living in Meridian.

"Oh! You're awake. I just went down to bring some water." He then remembered the dry well. His head hanged down in dissapointment. "I'm sorry Padja..."

Little Padja smiled at him, the girl really admired her grandfather's devotion towards her health. She wished she wasn't such a burden. Padja was trying hard to straighten up, but the fever overcome her strength. Kelben caught her before she hit her head on the wall.

The girl looked at him with her eyes shining like two sapphires "Thanks grandpa. When do think mom will be home?"

Kelben smiled at the little girl "She'll be here soon my dear child, real soon. Now, go to sleep. You need to rest if you're to be healthy again." Padja's mother Helena had been working at the fields till late night. His son, Padja's father, was a soldier who fought bravely against the darkness that consumed Arkhanta. He was one of the many who remained behind to guard the portal.

Padja nodded and closed her eyes. The old man layed an extra blanket on his granddaughter and kissed her on the forehead. Just as he was leaving to buy some water from the bazaar, he heard Padja's voice.

"What if it comes again tonight? I'm scared granpa... Please, don't leave me!" Tears flowed from her crystal blue eyes. Kelben heard from Helena that Padja was having nightmares. Almost every night she saw a creature of horror in a plain of corrupted soil. The entity then would demand something from her, something she never remembered...

Kelben pulled a stool near Padja's bed and sat there. "Don't worry. I'll stay by your side until your mother comes home. Okay?" asked the old man as he combed the girl's short blonde hair. Soon she fell asleep.

Padja was afraid; she was in that shadowy land again. The girl thought it might have been a beautiful place once but now it reflected her greatest fears. Plains, mountains on the horizon, even dead trees... all were way too familiar in a strange way. She took one step back and stepped on a dry leaf. A painful scream deafened her as the leaf crumbled into dust. The little girl somewhat knew that it was the leaf that screamed and now more sounds came to her. Every leaf, every stone, every drop of water, every tree, every handful of soil... Padja could hear the land suffering.

"_This is what became of your world little one. Here is Arkhanta._"

Padja's eyes opened wide with the words of the voice. She then shook her head in disbelief, the creature was trying to trick her again. Yet... now that it spoke the name of her homeworld, Padja remembered the high plain she and her parents used to go for picnics.

"Why...? Why did you do this? I loved this place... Mom and dad loved it too."

"_If it will comfort you, it wasn't me who did this. It was someone of... my kind. Yet what was once darkness shall return back to it's origin. It's the cycle of; life and death, existence and oblivion, good and evil, light and darkness-_"

Padja cut in "Is there no escape from this... Can't you stop it!" She desperately waited for a positive answer.

"_No... Such a feat is beyond me, for the moment. But fear not, there are people who will save all from our arrival. The only thing we need is patience._" The entity wasn't paying full attention to the child as it was staring at the sky of Arkhanta and beyond.

The little girl wasn't that patient. She wanted to go home and live happily together with her family again "Please! You must end this! I'll do anything to help you!"

The entity was suddenly interested "_Anything? Are you aware what you're wishing for? For I'll need your body and your soul will go to Oblivion._" It had to make sure Padja accepted it with all her heart.

It took some time for her to answer "Yes... I'll do it. But can mom and grandpa come with me too?"

The creature looked relieved "_Then I'll grant your wish little Padja. Your family will accompany you on your journey. Now relax, it won't hurt a bit..._"

Kelben woke up from his nap and saw Padja glowing with dark aura. He immediately stood up tried to touch his graddaughter only to be shocked by dark lightning. The old man then crawled on the floor while Padja slowly levitated upwards from her bed. Kelben leaned back against the wall and watched the black aura turn into first silver then into white. Kelben was completely frozen in fear.

Padja descended on her feet; she turned her face to Kelben and pointed her palm towards him. "_You're going with your granddaughter, Kelben._" She then fired a white beam at him. Kelben shook with pain but as light covered him he felt more serene. He saw the spirit of Padja within the light, she was calling to him. Kelben held his granddaughter's hand. He didn't even look back at his body which was reduced to ashes...

The entity, who now possessed Padja's body, chanted an ancient spell. Her body changed drastically as she transformed into young woman in her early twenties. Now not only was she older, she also had nothing in common with the little girl in appearance anymore. The entity then heard footsteps near the door. Helena opened the door.

"Sorry, I'm late! Is Padja sleeping, father-OH MY!" Helena stopped as she saw the girl standing at the end of the room. "Who are you? Where is my daughter!"

"_They are waiting for you, Helena._" The entity sent another white beam. Helena slowly started to see Padja and Kelben as her spirit left her disintegrated body. Padja happily looked at the people she loved. Kelben was holding her left hand and Helena was holding her right. All three of them walked to the black hole that appeared before them.

The entity was watching their last journey into Oblivion. Padja suddenly turned around and waved at her. The young girl waved back, then all three of the family members entered the black hole. After the gate to Oblivion disappeared the entity wore the clothes of Helena. It was a tight fit for she was too tall. She noticed a ribbon on a table in room and braided her long brown hair with it. The entity gazed at the night sky of Meridian with her deep gray eyes. She waved her hand parallel to the floor opening a portal. Beyond the portal large concrete buildings and skyscrapers could be seen. She then entered the portal leading to Earth.

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Meridian, The present, The night of full moon sky landing, Two hours before midnight

Streets were still crowded in Meridian despite the late hour. People seemed to have forgotten the recent events and were enjoying the cool night beneath the full moon. Nearly every store were open to serve their customers and Odec's bakery was not an exception. Everyone nearby could smell the famous cookies of the old baker. Although, Odec had no customers at the moment, except for an infamous person. He was slowly getting tired of Gérard's persistence.

"Do you have any idea the risk I'm taking by just talking to you? Now get of here before someone sees you!" Odec looked outside the window to check if anyone was eavesdropping. The baker really wasn't in a position to get caught with him!

The man before Odec had the looks of a bum yet his eyes glimmered with intelligence. He was thin and had greenish skin with reptilian features. The sly man was a Greseh, a race that formed the majority of Metamoore. "Come on Odec! Really would appreciate the little gift o'yours. For old times sake; remember the day I saved yer butt from Ujar and his brutish protegé Blorn. T'was quite a close call..."

Odec didn't have to be reminded that he was almost arrested by the palace guard. Even though the baker was saved by Gérard, it was that fraud who caused the problem in the first place "Rrrrr!... Alright! You have a point. Here you go, but you should go now. And don't you dare forget my favour!" The baker was sometimes too soft hearted for his own sake...

Gérard took the box full of cookies with a huge grin "Will always remind me self pops! See ye around Odec-OH CRAP!!!" The crook immediately hid under the counter.

From his position Odec could see two figures approaching the bakery in the night. He had a good guess about their identities and Gérard's reason to hide from them, but still he couldn't help asking "What happened?"

"Shhh!" Gérard's face showed nothing but fear "Don't gimme me away! I'll owe you two, Odec!" The baker knew what would happen should the crook were to be caught by two particular persons.

"Sigh... Just stay where you are." Yeah, he was too kind for his own sake...

Caleb and Elyon had been walking in the crowded streets of Meridian. It was a cold night yet the happiness of the people surrounding them kept their hearts warm. The couple was having a good time yet both were troubled that they couldn't even start a long lasting conversation. Each attempt had ended with an abrupt silence. Elyon was talking a lot... in her mind. She wanted to say and ask so many things yet every thought got caught in the filter of her courage.

Caleb decided to add a third person to liven up the conversation plus there was a present that a friend of his could give Elyon. He greeted Odec as they entered the bakery. "Long time no see Odec. I hope you haven't closed yet?"

The old baker was cheered up with the sight of his old friend. He didn't need to act in order to hide Gérard; the old man had already forgotten about him! "Of course not Caleb! Why don't you and your lady companion have a seat? I've just baked a party of cookies, fresh from the oven!" Odec of course had noticed that the young girl was the queen of Meridian but he found protocols unnecessary for the moment.

The baker took a tray out of the oven and gave them each one cookie. Caleb encouraged the hesitant Elyon "Try one, these are the best you can find in Metamoore."

Elyon wasn't sure as Metamoorian food didn't suit human tastes. She slowly took a bite and waited for the worst "Um!... It's delicious! And I thought I'd never find decent food on... um, sorry..." She immediately turned red with embarassment.

Odec laughed at the young queen's goof "Nah! No offence taken your highness. It just that Earth food hasn't been demanded ever since the-... your birthday, Light of Meridian. Most of the cooks left their job after that particular day, since there were no custumers anymore, save for one." His smile faded away with the memories of those dark days.

"Oh! It must have been quite..." Elyon realizing who Odec had served after the great purge.

"Unpleasent. His demands and complaints were pratically endless. Luckily I was the only cook avaliable, or alive, therefore he couldn't dispose of me. But now I'm happy with managing this little bakery. Cookies are the only common taste of Metamoorians and humans share." Odec smiled; happy that he managed to change the subject.

"Well Odec, I'd really like to have the recipe of these!" asked Elyon now completely carried away from her troubles.

Odec leaned over the counter and whispered to her "Between you and me, your majesty. The recipe originaly belonged to Queen Leryn; it was passed on to many people and finally to me. So I guess it's your right to learn it after all. I can show you how it's done right now."

Beneath the counter Gérard was simply cursing his luck. He was now sure that the baker had completely forgotten about him 'Damn you, Odec! Why can't you just let them go?...' He moved slightly to gain a better position, which was immediately noticed by a pair of sharp eyes.

"That would be great!" said Elyon happily. "Shall we go down to the ovens, Caleb?"

Caleb, at the moment, was more intrested in the counter and the person under it. "You go Eyon, I have a few things do anyway." Elyon looked him with a slight hint of disappointment but regained her excitement when Odec walked her to a door that led to the underground ovens.

Caleb waited until Odec shut the door tight. He then started strolling in front of the counter "So, who do we have here?" Caleb hold the edge of the counter and turned it over revealing the person hiding under it. The former rebel leader smirked with delight as he saw Gérard's green face turn yellow out of fear.

"Um, hi Caleb... No time no see." Gérard started to sweat unconrollably.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't my favourite small time crook Gérard. Haven't seen you around lately. Are you running from someone!" Caleb quickly grabbed his collar and slammed him to the wall.

"T'was all a little mistake! I swear, me never meant to tell Cedric. Y'know, he's good at shapeshifting, lying, decieving etc. What the heck! I was hypnotized!"

Caleb's eyes glowed white with Gérard's lowly words "Yeah, by a sack of gold, you slimey bastard! Your treachery caused Simca's death!" Anger caused something to awaken in Caleb, something he never wished to happen again. White energy flowed out of him sending small lightnings to the surroundings.

Now Gérard was truly in terror "Ye see how good that lizard is; now can I go?-OUCH!" White energy surged from Caleb's hand to his throat shocking him. "Look man, let's be civilized for a moment and talk this out-OWWWW!!!" A punch broke his nose.

Caleb readied his fist for another punch "There are two languages you understand Gerard. One is money, which I don't intend to waste on you, and the other is a good beating, which I'm quite fond of delivering to you!" The next punch hit Gérard in the stomach.

"OWWPPHHH!!!! Aww man... Alright, alright! I beg ye! Please stoppit! I'll tell ye anything!"

"So spill it out! What the hell you were doing here?"

Right at the same time two young Arkhantians walked into the bakery. They both drew crossbows and pointed them at a puzzled Caleb and an extremely relieved Gérard. But as soon as the youngsters had a better look at who they were aiming at, they hesitated.

"Oh!... um... it's him. What do we do now, Arthas?" asked the first Arkhantian without letting his eyes off them.

"Don't just stand there Fred. Say something you buffoon!" said the other one.

The one called Fred pointed his crossbow in a threathening way towards them "Do not make a move or it'll be your last! Hand us all the money now!"

After hearing the conversation that passed between those two thieves, Caleb knew he had nothing to fear about. But there was something he noticed "Strange... You two seem to have recognize me but the only Arkhantian who saw me in person was Lord Ari. Who are you, really?"

"By Imdahl, curse him!" Fred realized the mistake he made but it was too late.

Mentioning the name of the ancient Metamoorian deity comfirmed Caleb's thoughts "You're not Arkhantians. You're just impersonating them aren't you!" Their performance were really bad compared to Cedric, and Caleb had seen many of his tricks. These kids' were mere amateurs.

The robbers decided to drop the act and both shapeshifted in to their original form "It's none of your business Caleb, this is for the salvation of Meridian. Boss told us that we'll save this city from the alien plague that infested it!"

Caleb had enough of their nonsense and insults towards Arkhantians "You dare speak of innocent people as if they were a disease!"

Caleb drew his sword quickly and lunged towards them. The experienced warrior made a spin which enabled him to evade Arthas's crossbow bolt and hit Fred with the hilt of his sword. He then used the unconscious thief's body as a shield and advanced towards the second thief. The youngster couldn't risk shooting his friend so he retreated backwards and soon found himself cornered. Caleb swiftly slammed the unconscious thief on him and with a swing of his sword disarmed him. The thief raised his hand indicating that he surrendered. The fight ended quickly and decisively.

When Caleb finally had a good look at the teenagers he saw that they were really poor and desperate. He felt pity for them "Tell you what; you're still kids. If you show me where your 'boss' is then I'll let you two leave under the condition that you'll not steal again. Deal?"

Arthas pointed towards the door with a glimmer of hope in his eyes "We don't know where boss is, but the one gave us the order just went off. Honestly!" At the same time Fred was slowly coming around.

"You mean Gérard!?" He had completely forgotten about him during the whole chaos. Caleb rebuked at his carelesness in letting him slip away!

"Yeah, that was his name. He usually hangs around in Raven's Nest. We don't know more, I swear!" Both imposters were on the edge, fearing that the former rebel leader, now personal bodyguard of light of Meridian, would change his mind.

Caleb gave a heavy sigh and waved his hand towards the door "Alright... you can go." The youngsters didn't waste the generous offer and ran out the bakery as fast as they could.

Half an hour later Elyon and Odec came in from the underground ovens. Fortunately there was enough time for Caleb to clean up the mess.

"Caleb! I hope I didn't make you wait too long. For a moment I thought Odec would take me to the core of Metamoore! I had no idea that ovens here were built beneath the ground." Elyon continued to talk about the things Odec showed her as they both walked to the doors of the bakery.

"Goodbye Caleb! And see you soon lass! Don't forget to drop once once in a while."

They both said their goodbyes and walked into the streets of Meridian. Elyon suddenly gave Caleb a cookie. The former rebel leader first looked at the queen with questioning eyes then took a bite of the cookie, it was obviously fresh out of oven.

Elyon watched Caleb and she got worried when Caleb's eyes widen "How is it?" she asked shyly.

"Umm!... It's amazing!... Something is different about this one... I think Odec added a bit more hujl (a sweet plant that grows on Metamoore) and szecan (plant oil that tastes similar to butter)... It seems that Odec has given you one made with Leryn's special recipy."

Elyon smiled at Caleb. The young queen wiped her sleeves, which had small stains of flour and chocolate, while he was looking elsewhere.

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"You must get out of here! It's not safe! They've come to destroy all of us!" Yua looked at the skies and saw the foul tempest that was descending upon the swamps, the only place she accepted as home so far. So far... She wasn't sure about that anymore. The banshee hoped her sisters would see the danger. Darkness was coming closer with each passing second.

"Here is our home Yua; we were born from the swamps and we will be one with it again in the end." None of the banshees seemed be acknowledging the arriving apocalypse. How could they not understand it! What they said didn't make any sense at all. Once she used to think like them, but now she wanted survive.

"It... It doesn't have to be this way! We might have a chance against them if we just-" The urge to survive... a concept alien to magical creatures. One born from nature itself never experienced the end. Should such creatures die, they would be reborn again. Their only fear was captivity and their only hatred were towards their captors. Survival had no meaning for banshees or fairies. Yet Yua...

"Ally ourselves with humans? Hmph! What you're trying to say is preposterous, sister." No fairy had love for humans. Those creatures had almost no respect for nature and its creations.

"You have been acting strange ever since you escaped from Ari, Yua." Indeed she was... Even if she wouldn't admit it; Yua had seen and experienced many things. Apart from the fabric of nature and magic lore, she had little knowledge about the world beyond the swamps.

"Something has changed you, sister. If didn't know you at all, I'd say you are almost... human." That also, was true. Observing humans made Yua see the world from a different perspective. But most importantly she now could experience emotions she had never felt before. Sadness, compassion, happiness, disappointment, hope and many more...

"It's not the time to judge me! Our lives are at stake! Why do you insist on dying here while there is a chance for you to survive? Why?"

"If you can't answer that by yourself, then there's no way we can explain it to you."

"And this can only mean that you're no longer one of us, Yua." Instincts led a banshee through its eternal life; by being able to defy her own instincts Yua proved that she wasn't a fairy anymore.

Tears flowed down from Yua's eyes "Sisters-"

But banshees were evil in nature, none would pity her nor would have second thoughts "Leave the swamps. You do not belong here Yua..."

Then it arrived... The dark entity rained destruction over Arkhanta with black magic and its army of shadows began to ravage everything in sight. Her sisters' voices echoed in her mind over and over again. She could hear them crying for help "Yua. Yua! YUA!!!"

"Wh-what!?! What happened!?" Suddenly she found herself in darkness, when she opened her eyes she saw Ari's face. Oddly, he looked concerned.

"You dozed off." Ari's answer was plain and simple. Actually he wouldn't wake her up even if it were an pressing situation but Yua was talking in her sleep and rolling, which was quite dangerous considering they were on a roof twelve meters high from the ground. "You were having a nightmare, weren't you?"

"Y-It's none of your business!" She couldn't believe she almost admitted having a nightmare, yet he did sound concerned. Yua quickly changed the subject "Have you seen anyone suspicious yet?"

Ari gave her the binoculars he was using "Well, there were two who just entered the bakery."

Yua looked at the bakery and saw some movement in the building "And why are we still waiting here then?" Then she looked at Ari with suspicion "Wait... I hope you're not going to let them rob Odec, just so we can follow them?" The old baker was one of the few people who actually didn't care of her being a banshee. And Yua liked his cookies too. She'd be really sad if poor Odec got hurt.

Ari was pretty calm about the whole situation "No need to worry. Caleb and Elyon are in there. If they are robbers, they'll get caught in no time." Two commons thieves had no chance against Caleb let alone Elyon. At that moment they both spotted someone sneaking out of the bakery through one of the windows.

"Aahhh!" Yua felt a sharp pain in her head. She couldn't help thinking that something similar had happened to her before. Yet she wasn't able to remember it.

"Are you alright?" When he realized the banshee was fine he scanned their surroundings just in case there were someone who noticed them. Fortunately Yua's scream wasn't that loud and nobody seemed to have heard it.

"That Metamoorian... I sensed incredible amount of negative energy in him!" The energy was familiar... disturbingly similar to something she felt before. Still she couldn't remember.

Soon they saw the two youngsters running away from the bakery. This proved that they intended to rob the bakery. From the beginning of these events, Ari had been suspecting that there was something more than met the eye. And now there was a Metamoorian possessing an incredible amount of negative energy, who happened to sneak out of a bakery, which was about to be robbed. Coincidence? "It seems there's another player in the game. Let's follow him."

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Warren's Plaza

In Warren's Plaza reside the great statue of Escanor sculpted by the best artists of the time. It was one of the few images of the saviour of Metamoore that survived till now. The statue had seen both golden and dark ages of Meridian. And in the darkest age it was transmuted into the image of Phobos by Johnathan Ludmoore sixteen years ago on the day of the great purge, so that people would remember the tyrant's might upon them. Fortunately, the statue was restored to it's original state by Elyon after Phobos's reign came to an end. Gérard sat down near the statue; he was exahausted and had some serious bruises.

Blorn scoured the crowd in hopes of spotting Ujar. He and captain Miriadel had been missing for ages! Although the young palace guard knew his superior wouldn't do anything like that he couldn't help imagining his master in a tavern, drunk, bragging about his old glorious days.

Ujar didn't have the best record among the palace guard; he had been a part of the seige of Nevres and was lucky enough to be only knocked unconscious by the air guardian of the time. But after Phobos took control of Meridian, he finally saw the errors of his ways and became one of the co-founders of the first rebellion along with Alborn, Miriadel, Rjhal, Duswald, Ciora, Torghal, Gérard and their leader Simca. After order was restored, he became the honorary blademaster and captain of the newly formed palace guard. His skills with his halberd Ywetra, which meant Serpent Slayer, was legendary. The weapon got it's name after Ujar forced Cedric to retreat in an one to one battle. It was still remembered by many former rebels. Blorn couldn't be more proud for having someone like Ujar as a teacher.

'Guess I'll have to wait till they meet this informant of their's.' Blorn continued with his cover as a patrolling guard and looked out for any suspicious persons. The young warrior really wanted to get his hands on one of those thieves.

At the same time two guards were watching Warren's Plaza from an alley. Captain Miriadel and Ujar were waiting for Gérard. There were numerous reports from patrolling guards that he was seen exiting Raven's Nest; a place where no sane person entered. They had been waiting for nearly an hour. Ujar tossed a coin in the air.

"Heads." And heads it was.

The old blademaster was impressed by Miriadel's talent in guessing such things accurately. Yet, this game was nothing more than a way to kill time "I wish you had this luck with finding your 'ex-fiance'."

"Don't dare call him that again!"

"No need to be offensive. Are you sure he'll come here? I mean this is the last place he'd show up considering-"

"There he is!" Miriadel drew her dagger but was stopped by Ujar before she throw herself into the town square.

"Hold your horses, miss! First make him talk, then kill him. Understand?" The old blademaster didn't let her go till she held her anger down.

"...Alright... I'm calm... I don't want to skin him alive... yet." Though it could be seen she was on the verge. Miriadel hid her dagger within her cloak and slowly walked towards the statue of Escanor where Gérard was sitting.

At the same time Gérard was checking his injuries; there were some nasty bruises. Caleb sure had a heavy hand! "Stupid Caleb! Now I have to lay low for awhile and..." It was then he saw Miriadel approaching him with a not too sincere smile on her face. Gérard sighed with defeat "And just as I thought this night couldn't get any worse..."

"Hi there 'honey'. I haven't seen you for quite sometime." She whispered her next words into his ear during the fake hug. "In fact, I believe it was when Cedric and his men attacked our hideout."

"You know I never intended to do that, yet being killed wasn't the best for me-" Gérard felt a sharp thing touching his belly beneath Miriadel's cloak. She then dragged him to an empty alley, away from unwanted attention.

Now she could speak straight forward "Right... So first you snitched us to Cedric, then you run away while many good people got slaughtered!"

"That summarizes it... I guess... Please don't kill me!" Yet the crook somehow knew he was out of chances this time.

"You can't escape your fate Gérard. But you will have the chance to do some good. If you answer my questions properly, at least your pathetic life won't be a complete waste." And the conversation continued for awhile...

On the otherside of Warren's Plaza Blorn saw Ujar while he was on his route "Here you are, master! Have I missed anything?"

The blademaster pointed the alley where Miriadel was interrogating Gérard "Not quite. She's getting the information as we speak."

What Blorn saw surprised him; the captain's way of questioning was harsh! He never thought Miriadel could get serious when it came such tasks. "Um... Why is captain Miriadel beating the crap out of him? I thought he was reliable."

"Reliable!? In your dreams! That man sold the rebellion for a bag of gold. That man's Gérard!"

"That traitor!!! No wonder captain is wiping the wall with him. He deserves no less!"

"It's not only that. You see, they were once engaged."

Now that was something new for Blorn. He always thought Miriadel's only partner was Alborn. "I have a good hunch that it didn't end well."

"It never began at the first place. He left her at the altar. It was the same night when Cedric and his men brought an end to the first rebellion." said Ujar with almost no trace of emotion.

"Even though I hate say it; he should have stand trial at the royal court and be punished properly. Though he'd probably be sentenced to death for his crimes."

"Nah! Queen Elyon would most likely forgive him and give him another chance. Miriadel is making sure that no such thing happens." Miriadel stabbed Gérard with her dagger as Ujar finished his sentence. It seemed that she got what they needed from him.

Miriadel wasn't done though, with a slash of her rapier she cut off Gérard's head. Then she threw the head into a dumpster. "Aw man! Was that even necessary! I mean, I've never saw captain like this before. She's... plain scary now."

Ujar had rather simple answer for that "That's because you always see her when she's with Elyon." Yeah... Blorn couldn't deny that fact.

After she hid Gérard's corpse deep in the alley, Miriadel reported to Ujar "Alright, he didn't tell me much. But apparently Rhjal was going to meet him in the sewers at dawn. He was even kind enough to draw a map for us."

Ujar was shocked by the news "Rhjal! I thought he was dead!" He then took the map from Miriadel and examined it "Let's not waste any time then. It'll be hard to find the meeting spot."

Blorn got confused by his master's last stament "Why is that?"

Ujar showed him the map "His drawing is terrible!"

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In a dark alley lay Gérard's headless corpse, far from the eyes of the people of Meridian. None of those simple folk would want to witness what was about to happen. Suddenly, Gérard's headless body stood up and searched the alley for its head. After some unsuccessful attempts he gave up looking for it. "ARRGGHHH!!! Why did she had to rip off the entire head?!" Then he started to change and in few seconds he took the shape of a young girl (with a head of course).

Ari and Yua had witnessed the entire event; from Miriadel's torture to Gérard's death and his shapeshifting. Not to mention his rather astonishing self-resurrection! Both of them were completely flabbergasted. They couldn't stop staring at Gérard until he got out of sight. Yua was the first to snap out of it.

"What the hell is that, man... or girl?" The banshee was dazzled by Gérard's amazing feat, she was certain that he was dead. His spiritual and magical energy weren't existant for minutes. And now he was walking as though nothing had happened!

The lord of Arkhanta was having a hard time with focusing on the matter at hand, but he forced himself to analyze the situation "At least this proves we're on the right track. Whatever Miriadel learned from him... um... her, must be important."

Yua was also trying to regain her concentration, the confusion was actually becoming painfull "She... or he... Urgghh! Let's agree with he for the time being!... He unleashed enough magic energy for me to track him down."

At last there was a course of action, Ari immediately stated their objectives "Okay then, we'll follow him. Find out who's he working for and what they are planning to gain from this chaos." Now that they knew what to do, everything become clearer. The effect of Gérard's display was wearing off.

"He didn't exhibit any other magical power but we should be ready for everything." The banshee was going to be cautious. After all, self-resurrection wasn't something you see every day!

Ari thought about a way to kill him for good but he couldn't come up with anything. He then turned towards Yua "Can you destroy him if it becomes necessary?" He hated the idea of depending on Yua but he had no other choice at the moment.

The banshee's hand ignited with green fire; a magical flame that couldn't be extinguished by mundane means, and which burn only the living "He'll have to regenerate from his ashes." answered Yua with a grin.

Ari smiled faintly, he was actually getting used to the banshee. Yet there was still a long time before they could completely get over their mutual hatred towards each other. If anyone could call it hatred now that is. They both continued to pursue the person who was supposedly Gérard; unaware that someone else was trailing them too.

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**To be continued...**

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Note 1: Padja is the girl carrying woods in issue#28 and although her mother is seen too, her name is not mentioned.

Note 2: Due to increased lenght of the chapter there will be five parts in total. I really don't know when I'll upload part 3.

Note 3: Visit my profile to see the profiles of my original and (heavily) altered canon characters, and a glossary of my additions to W.i.t.c.h. universe. I'll update my profile as the story progresses.

Note 4: Constructive critisms please...


	8. Reflection of One's Nature part 1

I'm back again, and this time with whole new chapter. From now on I'll post one act from each chapters (5&6) as both will intersect in chapter seven. Anyway, as you know a month has passed from chapter four (The Hidden Truth) to five (Light of Meridian No More). Chapter six is about that one month on Earth. If you thought things were complicated, now it's time to reconsider it. I hope you will enjoy reading it!

Chapter Guest Starring: Simca, Esmeralda Alvarez, Vanessa Taylor, Orube, Martin Tubbs, Lilith, Hyperion

**Disclaimer: I do not own W.i.t.c.h. comics or TV series along with all the characters related.**

**Chapter 6: Reflection of One's Nature**

**Prologue**

He was floating in emptiness; there were no surrounding limits, no dimensions, no senses, nothing at all... He tried to see something… hear something… but there was nothing around. The boy tried to shout, yet his voice didn't come out, as if it didn't exist at all. He was lost in the void like countless others. It was the same every night for the last few days. There was nothing but the void, where darkness and silence reigned supreme. Yet, tonight was different…

Suddenly, the boy's senses returned to him. Now he saw the darkness, heard the silence and felt the ground. He was standing on a platform, which stretched to infinity. Then light came, though it was faint… barely enough to see his surroundings. This was the first time the emptiness faded away ever since that day. He had no memory about anything at the moment, but he forced himself to remember.

He tried to remember a single memory, a single face, and a single name.

"Where are you!!?" He shouted many times in hopes of a response. The boy cried out for minutes, and just when he couldn't even whisper anymore, he heard a sound beneath him. A cracking sound as if the ground was breaking apart.

The boy slowly looked down and saw his reflection on the cracked ground. It had the same appearance yet, something was different. The reflection's facial expression had signs of insanity; it had a smirk as if it despised the pathetic person who's supposed to be its true self. Its eyes weren't glaring, nor bearing anger or hatred. Those eyes… it was evil in its purest form. The boy closed his eyes and screamed in disbelief "No… You're not ME!!!" When he opened his eyes, his reflection was normal again.

It was then that he realized the ground he was standing on was actually a mirror stretching infinitely. The mirror had enormous cracks on it; and it looked like it was a matter of time before it completely shattered. 'I-I remember this mirror… But from where?' Then some of his memories returned to him. Every night he saw this mirror, and every night he looked at its reflection. Yet, when he woke up, he only remembered intense parts of the visions or better identified as dreams; but never the mirror itself. He remembered looking beyond his reflection in the mirror in order to see the realm behind it. The boy concentrated and looked beyond his reflection only to see a horror that he had never witnessed in his entire life. This wasn't the realm he used to know.

Once… It was a realm of hope and happiness, where serenity was endowned on everyone…

Now… It's a realm of darkness, shadows lurking in every corner, terrifiying beyond comprehension…

Once… It was so wonderful, so magnificent that one's mind barely grasped its actual beauty…

Now… It is twisted and corrupted beyond reason; madness is the only thing it can offer…

Once……

The realm he saw wasn't comparable to any nightmare he had ever seen before. The realm of dreams was unrecognizable. He saw darkness was slowly leaking out of the mirror's cracks, soon to spread its evil to their world! Suddenly, he heard a voice calling out to him.

"Martin… Martin… Martin… Martin!" It was a girl's voice and a familiar one. One with a heavy French accent. Hearing his name, returned his memories about his identity. Martin called out to the girl once more. Somehow, he knew she was important even if he couldn't remember her name. Everything was so confusing…

"Is that you? Where are you?" At the same moment his reflection disappeared, only the dreadful shadow realm remained behind the mirror. Martin kneeled down and looked through the now glass like mirror. At first he was shocked by the puzzling disorientation and distortion on the other side. However, as soon as he focused, he saw a girl running away from the shadows on a path perpendicular to the mirror.

Martin slammed his fists on the massive mirror over and over again to create an openning for her. Yet, even though it was cracked, it didn't budge a bit. Martin was getting more desperate by the second. "YOU CAN DO IT! YOU'RE SO CLOSE!" Although he had no idea what would happen even if she reached the mirror before the shadows. She wouldn't be able get to the other side…

The shadows got closer; it was only a matter of time before they caught her. Suddenly she stopped. Martin could see her sadness despite the disoriented vision "I'm sorry, Martin…"

Shadows consumed the girl…

"NOOOO!!!!"

"Martin! Are you alright?"

"What happened son?"

Martin looked around frantically. He sighed when he realized he was in his room lying on his bed, not standing an enormous mirror. Then he saw his parents' concerned faces "N-nothing… It was just a nightmare. Nothing to worry about."

"I'm glad you're alright." Mrs. Tubbs kissed her son's forehead. "Good night."

Mr. and Mrs. Tubbs left the room but Martin's nightmare wasn't a simple issue. Not at least nowadays.

"Nightmare? Well honey, I told you this whole 'everyone not being able to see dreams' thing were a fuss."

"But Frank, you heard the neighbours and even your colleagues….."

The conversation went on as Martin's parents went back to their room for another dreamless sleep in the void. It was the same for everyone; no one had seen a dream or nightmare for days. People were starting get notice of it. Every night was a disturbing emptiness and it wasn't a secret that many people tried to avoid sleep as much as possible. Yet, Martin had other problems of his own.

'I'll start worrying about dreams once I understand what's going on. Who was that girl? And why she felt familiar… and special?' It was then the light of remembrance illuminated the darkness of his memories.

A single memory at the Heatherfield Airport.

A single face; crystal blue eyes, short blond hair, and an ever-lasting smile.

A single name, Michelle Aurore.

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**Act 1: The Path Chosen**

Act Guest Starring: Nora Frieder, Jeffrey Brooke, Dr. Lazarus, Riddle, Matt Olsen

Unknown location at outskirts of Midgale, four days after Kadma's Funeral

The ground shook with incredible force. The tremors ended within less than a minute and the tunnels were still intact. Jeffrey Brooke was unsure of what he got into. Last week his operation failed and now he had been captured by an unknown group. They had dragged him out of Heatherfield to this underground installation. He looked at the soldiers walking by his side. They were fully armed with high tech equipment; and it was obvious from their looks that they would only obey the orders of their superiors.

"Aren't you going to give me a bit of explanation at all?" This was the first time the director of the special unit of Interpol spoke to the soldiers who kidnapped him.

"No can do Mr. Brooke. But, I wouldn't worry about my life if I were you." That was a correct statement. Mr. Brooke knew he would be dead by now if that were the mission.

Jeffrey Brooke tried to maintain his balance as the installation shook violently once more. The soldiers seemed to be used to the tremors. "Lot of eathquakes lately. Isn't that unsual? Midgale isn't near any fault zone."

The soldier grinned as he answered. "That would be the Experiment. Don't worry, you'll see it with your very own eyes soon enough." This only made him more nervous.

They passed a few more corridors and Mr. Brooke saw the vastness of the installation. Laboratories, manufacturing plants, armories… and list went on and on. Finally, the group reached the elevator and went further beneath the ground. There were offices on this floor; people around started whispering as the group made their way to a room at the end of the hall. Jeffrey Brooke's eyes opened widely as they entered the room. Although, years of experience helped him to react calmly to the situation.

"So… they have got you too. Any idea what's happening?" It was Riddle and Nora Frieder that Mr. Brooke was reffering. Riddle had a neuroband on him, which disabled his psychic abilities, and Nora was sitting on a chair waiting patiently.

Riddle whispered to Mr. Brooke as soon as the soldiers left the room. "Sir, it's the Majestic 12. I believe they've got wind of the five girls."

Nora Frieder had heard him and she spoke with cold tone. "I bet they knew about them before even we did. Look around you, and tell me what you see."

Mr. Brooke glanced at the room; it did not take long for him to notice the strange things that weren't normally a part of standard offices. The last time he saw a similar scene was at Sylla's office. Runes and glyphs dominated the walls forming most complex and artistic diagrams; bookshelves were filled with dusty tomes and scrolls, and on the desk were odd crystals radiating with an unnatural aura. It was as if someone was practicing… magic.

"I heard one of the guards telling that they were carving these glyphs all over the installation. I'd say our captors are serious about getting their hands on those girls." Mr. Brooke understood that Nora had been here for sometime; probably before he and Riddle were captured.

It was almost a week ago their memories about those events were restored. Unknown to them the veil of Darkness had neutrilized every spell that was done by Kandrakarian magic. Mr. Brooke immediately tried to arrest Sylla for treason, but he managed to escape. Later reports indicated that he was seen several times around Heatherfield. Upon this, Jeffrey Brooke ordered an agent to infiltrate Sheffield Institude, and the foreign student-teacher excahnge program gave them the perfect opportunity. Although they had arranged everything, the final place for the chemistry teacher was filled by someone else. The operation ended before it even started.

Suddenly the TV screen behind the office desk turned on. The image on the sceen was blurry and the sound was obviously being altered. It was impossible for them to identify their captor.

Jeffrey Brooke immediately rushed in front of the screen. "Finally! I demand some answers!"

"Everything in good time Mr. Brooke. Ah! Where are my manners?… I'm Dr. Lazarus, supervisor of this humble establishment. I hope you're enjoying the accomodations. We're currently having a… redecoration as you may have noticed."

Nora spoke as Riddle calmed Mr. Brooke. "So, what do you want from us?"

"Straight to the point I see. As you may guess, we have been monitoring your progress for quite sometime. You weren't able to capture the girls and the magical clone, or astral drop as they call it, your memories were wiped out clean, and you couldn't bring a certain definition to what you saw. I must say that you have failed miserably."

"That still doesn't answer my question." She crossed her arms and waited until Dr. Lazarus spoke.

"Very well, you're quite persistant miss, but as I said earlier it is my intention to reveal everything to you. My assistant Dexter will guide you throughout the compound and will answer all of your questions. I hope that we will meet again soon." The screen turned of as a thin man with glasses wearing a suit entered the office.

"Good evening, I'm Sebastian Dexter. Please follow me, and I remind you that you are being watched. Any kind of sudden move may result in your death." The man spoke as if he had no free will, a detail that Riddle noticed instantly.

"Didn't even think about that." Said Riddle as he got up; the neuroband was still active denying him to concentrate at full capacity. Dexter opened the door when everyone was ready.

"Now let us proceed, I'll explain the situation on the way."

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Sun was setting in Heatherfield. Hay Lin was trying to enjoy the scene as long as possible. She knew they would send Irma to call her upstairs to the meeting sooner or later. The guardian of air just wanted to finish her painting before the sun hid behind the horizon. Hay Lin sighed as she put her brush away; the painting had to wait for another day. With all the uncertainity in her life, she didn't feel like painting anymore. She fell into deep thoughts about the recent events.

Things had become complicated the last two weeks, never before the guardians began a mission with such disadvantage. They had five meetings until now ever since Cassidy contacted Will on Heatherfield Highway. 'Why did they go there anyway? I guess it must have been Cassidy's mystical summons.' There was one minor yet important detail. No one remembered the three missing girls, not only their dissapearence, but also their very existence.

After the meetings, in the light of Kadma's story and Cassidy's warning, the guardians had reached a few conclusions. First, there was a creature that came from the Realm of Chaos and it isolated the Fortress from the infinite universes. In addition, this Veil of Darkness had severed all magical connection of Kandrakar with the rest of the worlds, which meant that they should have been rendered powerless just like Kadma, who lost her eternel gift. The only possibility was that something or someone was supporting them, since Orube had determined that their elemental energy was not internally. 'Taranee is right. What if we are led into a false sense of security? Our power can be cut off in the middle of a battle.' Moreover, Will had to check on Cedric every single day. 'As if we needed someone to plot behind us…'

Although there were some clues that, they had found in Kadma's story. They analyzed every part of the story and even listened to outside opnions of Orube and Matt. All of them concluded that the trap in Nevres was prepared by the same person who destroyed Cassidy's spirit. Prince Edmund, Cedric, and Frost the hunter were all the leading actors of the fall of Meridian and their current locations were known, therefore they were crossed out. Two suspects were left; Johnathan Ludmoore and Simca of Hoél as they were the only persons out of the whole equation, considering the later events.

Thankfully, there were clues that reduced the number of suspects to single person. First, according to Cedric no one had breached the siege of Nevres, so no one could have given the exact numbers of the bandits and the names of the ringleaders to King Roland. And since Ludmoore hadn't left the city, it couldn't have been him. Secondly, Will was positive that the dark being who fought Cassidy was female and a better martial artist than her. Kadma had said that Cassidy told her that she wished she could train Orube and the young knight together. The girl was incredibly talented, too talented that she could have already been a master herself. Finally, Edmund and Cedric were once good people, yet suddenly they turned evil with no apperantly explanation. Will had an explanation for that too. When the dark creature attacked her, she felt that all of her emotions were being changed and if it weren't for the Heart Will would have been lost too. All of the availible evidence pointed towards Simca of house Hoél.

It was her, who gathered the bandits and let them loose on Nevres.

It was her, who hired the Basilidian merceneries and the other ringleaders to command the bandits.

It was her, who gave the information to King Roland at the first place.

It was her, who suggested that they should summon Cassidy, the legendary guardian of Kandrakar.

It was her, who prepared the trap in Nevres, and corrupted Edmund and Cedric.

It was her, who sent Cassidy into Oblivion.

Yet, one question remained unanswered. Why? That was something that only could be answered by Simca for the time being. Clearly, she didn't seek to control Metamoore. Even if Edmund was a puppet ruler, and she wished to dispose of the guardians in Nevres in order to prevent further intervention in her plans, it didn't fit into what occurred later on. Because, she had not attempted to stop the inexperienced guardians and allowed them to restore Elyon to the Meridian throne. Besides there was simply no explanation why she annihilated Cassidy and attacked Will all of a sudden and the events in Kandrakar.

There were still many parts that didn't make sense, but this was all they could come up with the little information they had. The best scenario was Simca working for the creature of Chaos. And as if those weren't enough, now they had to worry about Cedric and the possibly corrupted Ludmoore. Hay Lin feared that all of were parts of a greater plan.

Cornelia had determined several courses of actions. Their first priority was to free Kandrakar, in which their initial attempts to breach the Veil failed badly. They couldn't even put a scratch on it, as Irma said by then. Without the Universal Gate they no access to Metamoore, which was the most probable location of Simca, and Arkhanta, which was consumed by the darkness. Now they were trying to track down the new mysterious source of their powers in hopes of getting some more answers.

Hay Lin awakened from her thoughs as she heard someone coming downstairs fast. 'It's probably Irma, coming to tell me they have breakthrough. Not that it will be any different than the last three meetings.' The Chinese girl got up anyway and turned to the stairs. She saw Cornelia breathing heavily.

"Hay Lin... We need-"

Hay Lin rushed up the stairs before Cornelia could finish her sentence. No words were needed. Someone other than Irma had come down in a hurry and Taranee hadn't called her with telepathy. It was an emergency.

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Three tanks advanced towards her. The young girl showed no sign of fear; such things were only daily reutine. Yet, normally her opponents would be specialized task forces not remote controlled tanks.

"Are we having an audience today, mother?" she asked while observing the tanks. They were equipped with anti-magic technology. 'Latest models, huh? So, mother wants a lot of fireworks instead of a quick tactical battle. She must have important guests.'

Someone spoke to her through a speaker. "Lilith, for this demonstration you are authorized to use your full powers. Test begins in thirty seconds."

The girl was both thrilled and dissapointed. After a long time she finally got to use her full potential without holding back or being restricted to a few spells. However, once again it wasn't her mother who spoke to her. 'Why is mother always sending Dexter? It has been months since I last heard her voice…' In fact, she had never seen the person she called mother. She only heard her voice through the speaker.

Nevertheless, if her mother wanted to impress her guests then she would show them something they would never forget. 'I will not let you down, mother.' Lilith would do anything for the only person who really cared about her.

Thirty seconds were up.

Lilith attempted to levitate to higher ground but tank no.1 nailed her down with a barrage of machinegun fire. She raised a shield just in time. The magic protection deflected the barrier piercing bullets successfully. Normally standard shields and barriers would have immediately collapse, but the girl was no ordinary spellcaster. Lilith had countered far worse attacks. The young girl knew this was only to stall her while the other two tanks took position.

Tank no.2 slowly started to send pulses of EMP waves from a safe distance, which would soon dissolve the magical protection. 'I have to act fast.' Hundreds of magic bolts unleased from her hand hit tank no.2; causing it to shift most of its power to shield generators in order to survive the impact. The EMP waves were out temporarily. However, she had wasted precious time.

Tank no.3 then fired its main cannon. The massive explosion shook the entire mountain region.

When the smoke dispersed, Lilith was standing unharmed in the crater fromed by the explosion. Even though her shields had dissolved upon the impact, her pre-casted barriers were still intact. Lilith turned towards one of the cameras monitoring her actions.

"Oh come on! I thought that shell would be a tactical nuke. If you don't get serious how can I display my true strength?"

"Such ammunation is too expansive to be wasted on you. Resuming test in 5, 4, 3..."

"Hmph, whatever you say…"

The audience had witnessed her defensive capabilities, now it was time for the offense. She quickly chanted a spell; which caused the machinegun turrets of tank no.1 to turn towards tank no.2 and open fire. Then in order to evade the second cannon fire, she teleported to a nearby hill. From there she saw tank no.2 burst into flames. She loaded her hands with magic and released a huge beam of energy to tank no.3 which had low power in its shields since it was about to fire its cannon for the third time. The explosion was far more spectacular than the ones before. Only one remained…

Tank no.1's weapon system was completely under the control of Lilith's spell. Therefore, the person who was controlling it decided to crush her beneath the tanks tracks. The young girl knew that she could easily out run the armoured vehicle. And disabling it would only require a single spell. 'But it is better to make the finale worthy, for mother…'

For the first time in the battle, she closed her eyes and fully concentrated on her magic. Tank no.1 suddenly stopped right before her. Without warning, it began to rise up to the sky. The controller of the vehicle desperately engaged the defensive systems to dispel the magic.

It had no effect for Lilith was just too powerfull…

Lilith's eyes glowed in white and she slowly levitated above the ground. There were flames and energy rays revolving around her. Even with all the light of those, her silhouette was dark as ever. It was a sight would terrify even the bravest of warriors. Black clouds started to gather above the hovering tank. The ground began to shake uncontrollably then rocks began to rise forming an enormous claw. Ligthnings stroke the tank while the claw slowly grasped it. In just a few seconds the tank was crushed into bits. Then Lilith pointed her palm towards the claw and the remians of tank no.1. With a single hand wave both of them disappeared as if they never existed at all.

The speaker announced the end of the test "The demonstration was a great success, Lilith. You may retire to your chamber until further notice."

Lilith was completely stunned. This time the voice was different from of Dexter's. "Mother?"

"Yes dear, it is I. Within an hour, Hyperion will summon you to the communication center. Now go and rest."

"Of course!" Lilith's eyes filled with tears. She walked towards the exit, and beyond that door was her so-called chamber. It was a home for the young girl, but… For everyone else, it was a cage that confined a monster possessing immesurable power.

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"Amazing…" It wasn't the first time Mr. Brooke had witnessed magic. He remembered every single detail of his encounter with the Oracle, and that memory spell casted on them. A most unpleasent feeling… Yet, observing magic with full attention was something completely different.

Not soo long ago, Riddle used to think his abilities were unparalled. After his encounter with the guardians, he began to have second thoughts. But now, that creature's power simply dwarfed his mental abilities. "So, this was the Experiment that we were hearing about."

A woman next to them answered proudly. "Lilith is one of our most successful projects so far."

Mr. Brooke spoke with an uneasy voice. "She calls you mother, I get it you were the one who created her." Dexter had introduced them during the demonstration, but he still couldn't believe it. Things were getting too complicated.

"Yes, I gave her life and raised her. I only wished I could spend more time with her, just like I do with my real daughters…" Riddle didn't need telepathy to comfirm his and the other's fears. There was no need to recheck files. It was way too obvious who she was. He didn't like this at all. "Anyway, I have to leave now. It's past my usual time so I have to return before my family gets suspicious." The scientist quickly walked to the elevator.

Riddle turned to Dexter as soon as she was out of sight. "Does she know about her daughter?"

The assistant shrugged listlessly. "Absolutely nothing." This gave some comfort to them, but it still remained as a serious problem.

Nora was quick to notice a critical feature of the girl. "You said her name is Lilith but-"

"Yes, they are identical… biologically." Dexter's answer was more than enough for the three of them.

"This means that you have known the existence of magic for quite some time." Nora knew with the background research it had to be at least twenty years. Unless that 'thing's growth wasn't accelerated.

"The institution learned about magic exactly sixty years ago, Dr. Lazarus being the founder. Back at that time we worked for the Germans. Nearing the end of the war we changed sides and become one of MJ12's sub-organizations."

"You have been analyzing magic since 1943!" Mr. Brooke knew there were people working to prove there was magic, but there was a great difference between trying to find something and actually studying it.

"That is true; we have decrypted and digitized most of the spells that were available to us. It was coming from a reliable source."

Nora concluded that something had happened to the informant. Perhaps she could learn the name. "What happened to the informant?" Of course a direct question would be left unanswered.

"That person passed away." It seemed that Dexter didn't fell for it; although he continued. "We were forced to stop all projects for a long time, until now that is. Our archives have grown a lot thanks to the donations of our latest member. The data gained in the last two weeks was almost tenfold of what we gathered previously."

Riddle realized that their guide was coming to an important matter, he pressed on before Dexter could change the subject. "Wait a minute, you mean you can explain magic scientifically?!"

Mr. Brooke savoured the assistant's disturbance. Dexter waited awhile before answering. Riddle was now sure he was communication with someone before answering anything. Even though they were promised answers to their questions, it seemed that Dr. Lazarus preferred to give the least knowledge possible. "The answer would be both yes and no. It is Hyperion that can understand magic in scientific terms; we only use it empirically. Our simple minds can't begin to comprehend the vast knowledge and advanced calculations behind it."

"Are you sure?" Nora asked raising an eyebrow. Presuming a single person with far greater intellect who could grasp things no one could in this think tank didn't sound right at all.

It seemed Dexter was hesitant about this subject. He took his time to give a proper answer. "Well, Dr. Yan Lin had some ideas. She worked for us for sometime during the initial stages of the whole project. Yet, her foundings were merely the tip of the iceberg. She only formulated the results of magic in mathematical terms. She could not explain the process that altered magic energy into a spell, or the source of magic energy itself. But, we are still using her methods of spell casting." Mr. Brooke could see the anger in his eyes. He nudged Nora to warn her.

Nora asked one last question intended to end the conversation. "And what one of the greatest minds of the time couldn't do, this Hyperion can?" All three of the guests knew that he had hidden the more important facts, but they knew questioning further could be dangerous.

"Absolutely…" said Dexter with an evil grin. This confirmed Riddle's theory of him communicating with someone else. That grin and some of his actions were inconsistent. He saw no communications device on him. 'It can only be telepathy. The neuro band's true purpose was to hide their psychic agent.'

The group continued walking through the installation. All of them remained silent until Nora brought up an issue that had been troubling the three of them "Still, what I don't understand is; why are we here? I don't think Lazarus brought us here to be his audience." She observed that their guide reacted calmly towards the question.

"Truth to be told, we need you for the upcoming operation." To their annoyence, Dexter wasn't answering directly again.

Riddle could not stand it any longer. "And just how we're going to help!? If it is information, you have more knowledge about the situation than we do. If it is firepower, according to what you said earlier, we cannot do much if we battle the guardians. Not even my psychic powers are a match for them!"

Dexter simply ignored Riddle's protest and reached for the console next to him. He entered a code and with it, the massive door before him opened. There was a vast room in front of them, inside two people were talking to each other. One of them was Lilith; seeing her this close made the guests nervous. The other one was a young man in his twenties, who had nicely cut black hair with empty looking brown eyes. He could be called handsome if it weren't for his completely expressionless face. The boy was wearing a black suit and white coat despite being in doors. There was something odd about him, but no one could figure what it was. Both the girl and the boy were discussing something. It seemed that he was instructing Lilith.

"Here is your first assingment. You already know Lilith and the gentleman next to her is Hyperion. He will explain you the details. Now if you'll excuse me, I have duties to attend in else where." The three of them watched Dexter as he slowly went out and closed the door behind him. Then they slowly turned around and faced their co-workers. They saw Lilith doing final additions of some sort of illusion spell that she had casted on herself as Hyperion guided her.

Riddle finally broke the silence. "Well, this should be interesting."

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"Irma, what do you think you're doing?" Orube swiftly took the rolled newspaper from her hand. "That's not a fly!" Even though this world was alien to her, she knew that the thing flying in the room was not an insect.

"I know it isn't, that thing is metal. That's why it can't be good news." The water guardian continued to follow the movement of the metal bug while trying to find something else to hit it.

Will put her hand on Irma's shoulder, while keeping track of the bug's movement. "Swatting it might not be the best solution. Let's wait and see what it does." Nevertheless, she created a barrier around all of them just in case the thing explode or attack.

Matt whispered to Will. "That thing is probably electronic. Didn't you say you could speak with such equipment?"

Will concentrated on her powers; every electronic device other than the bug answered her call. She could sense the electric currents within it but her power just didn't reach it. "I'm trying, but something is blocking me!"

Cornelia immediately head towards the stairs. "I'll, go down and fetch Hay Lin." She went down as soon as Will nodded.

Within two minutes Cornelia returned with Hay Lin. By then the bug had found a suitable place to land. Its wings and legs closed up and a camera like object rised from its back. It suddenly flashed with a red light then turned towards the wall. Will sensed that it had scanned the room and Taranee spread it to the rest with telepathy. Whoever was controlling it now knew who was in the room.

At first, there was a small red laser dot on the wall, and then it began to expand until it became roughly the size of a television screen. They saw a black silluette on the screen. Soon the image became clearer and the person spoke. "Good evening."

Taranee gasped as soon as she recognized the psychic agent, who captured Will's astral drop. "Oh, boy… I knew the Interpol would return for payback."

Will tried to calm her; they all had to be vigilant now. "Let's not jump to conclusions, Taranee-" The owner of the Heart wanted him to see them as a coherent and strong team. Her hopes fell apart soon enough.

"I was expecting Sylla! Not this baldy!"

Everyone, except Matt, shouted at once. "IRMA!!!"

"Alright, alright, I won't speak anymore! Geez…" As usual, Irma needed sometime and warning before she could get serious.

Riddle was amused by their little quarrel. "Quite a spirited group you are. No wonder you can't be distinguished from the crowd."

Taranee didn't allow him to lead the conversation. "Don't change the subject! Who are you and what do you want from us?"

"Yes, there is no point in delaying this any further. You can call me Riddle, I'm from the xeno-technologies research depertment of Interpol. And you are, Wilhelmina Vandom, Irma Lair, Taranee Cook, Cornelia Hale, and Hay Lin, the guardians of Kandrakar. Also, Orube of Basiliade and Matthew Olsen."

Will knew from her astral drop's memories that the agents knew a few things about Kandrakar but she definitely didn't expect such accurate information. "Okay, so you know everything about us-"

"Don't worry I'm coming to that. You see we have been monitoring you for a long time, from your birth to be precise."

"What!?! How could-?" Taranee could accept the initial information but this was simply unbelievable.

"We have known you were destined to become guardians? Now that's a secret to be shared later on. As for the moment, I'll make an offer to you. All of you, excluding Matt Olsen, will surrender-"

"What kind of a deal is that!?" Irma shouted with frustration.

"Let me finish. In exchange, we'll release a certain person. We have done our research and experimentation on her; therefore she's no use to us anymore."

"Bah! As if we cared for a complete stranger."

"Orube! How could you say that!" Taranee was shocked by her unconcern.

The Basilidian warrior explained herself. "They know they can't take you in by force so, they're going for trickery. I bet they don't even have a hostage."

"I believe that this 'complete stranger' is actually quite close to you. Say hello to your friends." The camera turned towards an operating table inclined at sixthy degrees to the ground. A girl was chained onto it and the chains were glowing in a weird green colour.

All of them shouted at once "ELYON!"

Upon hearing their voice, Elyon gathered all her strength in order to speak. "Please, help me… Cornelia… girls… help…"

"We have been using her for target practice lately, and as you can see, your friend is in pretty bad shape." The mysterious agent's voice couldn't be more emotionless.

"Let her go, you creep!" yelled Irma. It wasn't just her; Orube clenched her fists but Taranee and Hay Lin calmed her down.

Riddle seemed to be enjoying it. "No can do. Soon my superiors will order me to dispose of her. The only way I can convince them to get authorization for her release is that I present them fresh specimens." This was actually easier than he estimated. Now he waited for the expected resistance.

"Do not expect us to accept such terms!" Hay Lin stood adamant before the projection. Riddle was rather impressed by her resolve.

"We accept." The cold voice of Will shocked everyone.

Cornelia couldn't believe in her ears. She looked at Will in a frenzied state. "What!? There is nothing to think about! We must go there and break Elyon out!" There shouldn't be any alternative! Compromises weren't for enemies.

Will put her hands on Cornelia's shoulders and looked deep into her eyes. "Do you trust me?" Cornelia stopped for a moment and then turned her face away. Will held the earth guardian's chin and turned her face to hers, forcing her to make eye contact. "Do you?" Although her voice was a commanding one, everyone in the room knew she was begging in the inside.

They had more than enough disputes over the years. Will would not allow the five of them to separate again, like the days when Phobos posed as Endarno.

It took a while before the guardian of earth could calm down. "…Yes… I do…" The keeper of Heart… No, the rightful owner of the Heart never failed them before. Even if she made mistakes sometimes, the guardian of energy always made up for it. Of course she trusted Will.

Will had noticed Riddle's bluff. The agent already had an edge over them and now he was successfully leading them into a trap before the guardians could analyze the situation throughly. Riddle didn't look very happy at the moment.

However, before Will could confirm her decision Matt stepped in. "No… we need time to think about it." Matt stood his ground before Will's questioning gaze. He knew the guardians needed time for a plan of action. 'You must not rush it, not without your astral drops or some other cover for your absence.' He hoped Taranee heard his thought. He sighed as the others finally calmed down and waited for the agent's answer.

It seemed that Riddle had also thought about his answer during that time. He had carefully observed each of their reactions and unlike the guardians, he was thinking calmly. 'This Matt Olsen… He might prove to be a problem. Better add him to players list instead of bystanders.' Riddle knew every detail counted in such delicate operations. If Will's decision had passed he would still had the advantage. Matt ruined his backup plan. Now he also needed time to adjust things accordingly.

"Very well, you have exactly thirty days from this day. Me and my associates will be waiting at Falcon Hill north east of Midgale. I suggest you prepare your astral drops for a long replacement. Otherwise…" The projection ended before he finished his sentence. In five seconds, the camera bug burned into ashes with a small explosion.

Matt had serious doubts about the whole scenario. "Something is fishy here… Does Interpol even have a xeno-technologies department?" His question went unanswered by the others. They were thinking about what do next, instead of looking at the larger picture.

"If we had our astral drops…" said Hay Lin with great dissapointment. Since the Breeze of Time broke they were simply out of tricks to cover their absence. And a long one like this…

Orube stated what was obvious. "Don't even think about it! It's obviously a trap. We shouldn't go there."

Irma was confident on the other hand "Come on! We foiled their plans before and we can do it again. Besides, if they get violent it'll be even easier. I mean, how could they possibly fight against us?"

"I'm not so sure it'll be that easy. I bet they found a way to counter your powers or they wouldn't be so bold. Plus, they managed to capture Elyon." Matt was getting more worried each passing minute.

Taranee supported Matt "Even without that they're still formidable foes. But Matt's right, they must have something in their hands if they're risking combat."

Irma just shrugged the thought away "Even if they learned a lot from Elyon, the nature of our magic is completely different than hers. I doubt they have devised a way to stop us."

Matt had his doubts about Irma's reasoning though "How did they capture Elyon at the first place then?"

"They… I…" The water guardian struggled as she tried to give an answer. She had to admit that this time they knew even less about the enemy than before. Surely, they would pull out more than a pyschic agent.

"So you really don't have an answer for everything, do you?" said Orube with an evil grin. Irma was defeated for the second time. This also started a verbal fight between them.

"What are we going to do then?" Taranee's question ended the argument between Orube and Irma. Everyone sat silently for minutes, trying to decide whether to confront Interpol directly or not.

Will, spoke with a cold voice. "They know where we live and they will try to capture us no matter what. If we don't take the battle to them, it is the people who are close to us that will get hurt." The others awknowledged that fact. Should the situation end with combat then the battlefield had to be away from populated areas, especially their homes.

Cornelia was still thinking about her best friend "We also cannot ignore the possibility that they're really holding Elyon in a research facility. We have to go-"

"Somehow…" Will finished the sentence for her.

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**To Be Continued**

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Note 1: Next is chapter six, act 2 'Reminiscence' and after that chapter five, act 3 'Raven's Nest'.

Note 2: Thanks to all who read and reviewed this story.


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